52. LII.
THE COURIER.
THE appearance of the Borderer indicated news of
importance.
“What has occurred?” said the Earl.
“The rascals are coming!” returned Wagner,
throwing his hat on the table. “At least they are on the
way, my lord—the Injuns!”
“Ah! What of them? What news of them?”
“A plenty, and too much. A courier is following me,
and he'll soon relate all to your lordship. Well, I think
we'll have stirring times at last. We'll eat 'em, or be eat by
'em, or I'm a dandy!”
As the Borderer spoke, the sound of a horse's hoofs was
heard, and in a few minutes a roughly-clad settler from the
frontier entered, and bowed low to the Earl. His tidings
were soon imparted. The Indians had crossed the Alleghanies
two days before, in large numbers, and had laid
waste the entire South Branch manor, killing women and
children, and even attacking Fort Pleasant and Edwards'
Fort, on Cacaphon. In all directions, homes were blazing,
fields on fire, the dead bodies of the settlers and their families
were stretched across a hundred thresholds, along the
line of march of the savages. The incursion had been so
sudden that no preparation, on the part of the borderers,
had opposed it; and the whole region west of the town of
Winchester was helpless at the feet of the advancing enemy.
Such was the information of the courier, who gave his account
with long-drawn breaths, as one laboring under
great exhaustion. In fact he had ridden night and day, and
was worn ont. Old John speedily took charge of him, in
obedience to the direction of his master, and the Captain
and Lord Fairfax were left alone together.
“Well,” said the Earl, his swarthy face glowing; “well,
Captain, there seems every probability of your prediction
being verified. We'll have fighting, and that speedily.
What are the defences of the region immediately west
of Winchester?”
“Few or none,” returned the soldier, knitting his brow
and reflecting: “there's Pugh's, and Enoch's and Parker's
Forts, with Edwards', the strongest. Further west, toward
Fort Cumberland, are Pearsall's and Sellar's, and Fort
Pleasant, which is well fortified. But these are passed.
Its dooms unlucky, my lord—but these worthies seem to
have heard nothing of the inroad until it was on 'em, and
the very devil will be to pay, or I'm a dandy! Where's the
map? I know the region by heart, but may forget some
places?”
The Earl drew it out of the drawer, and they were soon
poring over it. The result was discouraging. The forts
mentioned by the Captain were all regularly laid down, but
no others.
“There are plenty of cabins,” said the Borderer, frowning
thoughtfully; “but they are shells that the first blow will
smash. What remains? I tell your lordship I have never
been taken more aback. Messengers must, however, be
sent immediately throughout the river counties. I'll assemble
the hunters and settlers around here myself, and
then let the bloody scoundrels look out. I have said I'd
eat their carcasses, and I'll do it, or my name's not Wagner!”
A quick discussion of the details then took place, and the
plan of operations was agreed upon. In two hours couriers
were departing in all directions, and Captain Wagner himself
was scouring the country, to assemble the settlers in the
immediate vicinity.
On the next evening a messenger arrived with the intelligence
that the band of Indians had gone in an opposite direction,
toward the Potomac, plundering and burning on
their march.
“I'll go after 'em,” said the Captain, who had returned
from his long ride; “the boys will assemble at Winchester
to-morrow, and I'll take command, as your lordship has
directed.”
“Such is my wish, Captain,” returned the Earl, “and thus
we may take breath for a moment.”
“And I'll take some Jamaica, with your permission, my
lord, or zounds! without your permission, for I'm broke
down! I've been in the saddle till I feel as if I grew there.
I'm bow-legged, or the devil take it!”
Having swallowed his Jamaica, the Captain became more
tranquil, and listened in silence to the Earl.
“And now for a private matter of my own,” said the
Earl. “Where is Mr. Falconbridge, Captain?”
“At the Ordinary, my lord.”
“Does he return to the Lowland?”
“He! return to the Lowland! Who? Falconbridge?
You don't know him, my lord. He's a good heart of oak,
and you ought to have see his face when he heard of the
killing of the women and children! It was a glorious face,
or I'm a dandy! The very devil in his eyes. You don't
know that man as I know him. He is one of the kindest
and softest-hearted fellows in the world, but I'd rather go
through fire than arouse him! He go to the Lowland, with
those women and children kicking and squalling over there,
as the bloody scoundrels slit their windpipes? I fancy it!
No! He'll be duly in the ranks to-morrow, and I wouldn't
give a sixpence for the red devil that meets him!”
“Good, good!” said the Earl, with glowing cheeks.
“That is like him, Captain. I knew it—I was sure of it;
but he is weak, you know—he has been sick.”
And a strange pathos was discernible in the tones of the
Earl.
“Sick or well, he is with us,” returned the Captain.
“Your lordship seems really interested in him.”
“I have reason to be.”
“How so?”
The Earl did not immediately reply. He mused and hesitated.
Then suddenly his irresolution disappeared, and
turning to the soldier, he said:
“Captain, did you not think the scene on the Fort Mountain,
on the day of our duel, a very strange one?”
“A perfect puzzle!—a mystery! I've been racking my
brain to understand it ever since.”
“Well, I'll tell you what it meant,” replied the Earl, “if
you will make me two promises.”
“Two promises, my lord?”
“Very simple ones. The first is to guard sacredly what I
tell you, and the other is to go this evening, in spite of your
fatigue, and bring Falconbridge hither to sleep. I must
see him.”
“I promise both, my lord—and you know me. When a
thing is told to me, I put it under lock and key, and the
rack couldn't get me to tell it. I don't talk in my sleep,
and I've carried this hatred of the practice of gossiping so
far that I've often forgot things on purpose. I knew a man
once who always, when he got a letter headed `burn this,'
lit one corner of it to read by. He read the last line as the
flame burnt his fingers. That's my habit. I don't repeat—
I forget.”
The Earl nodded, well satisfied, and said:
“I can trust you, Captain Wagner. I give you a mark of
this entire confidence now. I wish you to watch over and
guard the person whom you know as Falconbridge, and to
explain this request, I am about to give you a brief history.
Are we wholly alone?”
The Captain rose and examined the doors and windows,
then returned to his seat.
“Completely, my lord; and now I listen. `The person I
know as Falconbridge?' Hum!”
The Earl looked into the fire for some moments, with
thoughtful gravity; then fixing his melancholy eyes upon
the Borderer, commenced the narrative which he had
promised.
