Chapter XXXVII: Returning Cordelia's Kindness--Jack and Harry on a Naval

EXPEDITION.

|But though he opened his eyes with astonishment, he did not open his lips to say why he did so. To have done so would have been imprudent to the last degree.

The question to the prisoner had revealed the fact that the captive whom Harry was so closely guarding was the son of Mr. Jones, the treacherous host from whom the two youths had had such a narrow escape, and the brother of the girl who had given them the hint which led to their hasty departure. He had joined Price's army as originally intended, and was serving with a cavalry regiment that had been assigned to the duty of harassing the union forces and preventing their obtaining the supplies they desired. His company was the one with which the union cavalry had disputed the possession of the haystack, as described in the last chapter.

“Now,” thought Harry, “I've got a chance to pay off the girl for her kindness to us. I 'll get her brother free and send him home to her. He 'll never know how it came about, but I'm sure she 'll understand.”

Further questioning showed that another of the prisoners was a near neighbor of young Jones, and that he was very much attached to Miss Cordelia; in fact, the twain were lovers, and this circumstance determined Harry on his course of action, and on the way to Batesville he studied how best to accomplish his object.

He found that the young fellows were heartily tired of the war, and wanted to go home; this was particularly the case with the young lover, whose interest was greatly roused when he found that Harry had seen the girl he left behind him. Harry gave no particulars of his acquaintance with her, other than that he had stopped at the house of Mr. Jones on his way from Springfield to Forsyth, and remembered seeing a young girl such as the prisoner described, or rather such as her brother told about. He said he could not remember the name, but thought it was Corinne, or Cor--something or other.

The prisoners were fearful that something terrible would happen to them, as they had heard the usual wild stories about the barbarity of the Yankees. Harry encouraged their belief as far as he thought judicious, in order to make them all the more grateful for any service he might render them. He promised to do his best to save them from being hanged or shot, and suggested that a great deal would depend on their conduct.

“If you try to escape,” said he, “you will be shot down at once; but if you obey orders and do exactly what is told you without question, you 'll find it to your advantage.”

They promised everything he asked of them, and on reaching camp they went demurely to the quarters assigned them, and made not the least trouble. As soon as he was relieved of his charges Harry went straight to General Vandever and asked to see him privately, a request which the general readily granted.

Under the seal of confidence Harry then told the whole story of how he and Jack had been saved from capture by the warning given by Cordelia, and how two of the prisoners then in camp were the brother and lover of the warm-hearted girl. He wanted them set free as a return for the service she had rendered the two youths, but at the same time he specially desired that neither the prisoners nor any one else should know or suspect the real reason of his request.

“We can easily arrange that,” answered the general. “I 'll see General Curtis and ask him to turn the prisoners over to me, to do with as I think best: I've no doubt he 'll do it, and if he does there won't be any trouble about the other details.”

An hour later the general sent for Harry, who responded with alacrity to the call.

“It's all right,” said the general, as soon as Harry came into his presence. “The five horses that you and Jack captured that night are worth more to us than the prisoners; the men might not like to know they've been traded for horses, but that's the way I look at it. Go and see if you can get the prisoners to take an oath not to serve in the rebel armies again during the war, and you may tell them they 'll be released if they 'll do it.”

Harry went at once to the guard-house, where the prisoners were confined, and it did not take long for them to make the desired promise. He explained that he had urged their case before the general, and had persuaded the latter to grant his request on condition that they went home at once and stayed there, and furthermore, that they signed the required oath and gave no further aid in any way to the war.

This being arranged the prisoners were taken before General Vandever, who gave them a severe lecture, pretended he was opposed to letting them loose, but had only done so at the urgent request of Harry, who believed them to be honest, but misguided, and who felt sure they would live up to their promise. There was much more talk to the same effect, all tending to show that they owed their liberation to Harry and Jack; and finally the papers were signed, the oath was taken, and the prisoners were escorted to the lines and allowed to go on their way toward Forsyth and home.

It was afterward ascertained that the arrival of the pair at the Jones' mansion was the cause of great astonishment to the family, and especially to the senior Jones, who had been in mortal terror ever since that night, for fear that the youths would cause his house to be burned over his head in revenge for his treachery. Cordelia blushed down to the roots of her hair, but her blushes were attributed to her joy at seeing her lover and brother safe at home from the wars. No one had the slightest suspicion that she had aught to do with the escape of the youths and the capture of the horses. As the returned soldiers babbled on about the kindness of Harry, and how he had brought about their liberation, the tears came into her eyes, and it was with great difficulty that she preserved her composure.

As before stated, the army in camp at Batesville, weakened by the withdrawal of a portion of its numbers, which were sent to aid in the siege of Corinth, and, being short of provisions and ammunition, was in no condition to advance upon Little Rock. Its only line of march was back to Rolla, or through the country that lay between it and the Mississippi river. The movement upon Rolla would be a retrograde one, while that toward the Mississippi would be an advance; consequently the latter was selected without hesitation.

From the sixth of May until the twenty-fourth of June the army lay at Batesville, making preparations for its future movements. Word came that gun-boats and transports were ascending the White river, and would probably come to Jacksonport, which is twenty-five miles below Batesville and at the junction of the White with the Black river. For ten days previous to the departure from Batesville, Captain Winslow, the quartermaster-in-chief of General Curtis's array, bought corn and other provisions, and saved the army rations so that he had enough on hand for a twenty days' supply, which was considered sufficient to carry them through to Helena, on the bank of the Mississippi, in case the gun-boats and transports should fail to reach Jacksonport. As subsequent events developed, this precaution was a wise one.

For the first time in its history this part of Arkansas was honored with a navy. General Curtis built five large flat-boats, with strong decks, partly for the transportation of supplies and partly for use as pontoons in case a river was to be crossed. Cotton bales were ranged around their sides and firmly fastened, as a protection against musketry in case the rebels should attempt to hinder their progress, and it was thought they would even be able to stop cannon-shot of the smaller calibers. There were no naval officers and sailors with the army, and so it was necessary to improvise them. There was a liberal number of volunteers for the new service, as it promised to be exciting and was certainly novel.

Captain Wadsworth, of the Thirteenth Illinois, was put in command of the fleet, and his company formed the crew. Harry and Jack were accepted as volunteers to aid in navigating the boats, each of which was provided with sweeps, or long oars, that were necessary to keep it in the channel. Some of the old soldiers were accustomed to flat-boat navigation on the Mississippi, and felt confident they could avoid getting ashore; but, of course, it was unknown what the rebels might do to hinder their progress.

Harry was half inclined to back out when he found that the road from Batesville to Jacksonport did not follow the bank of the river, but wound among the hills at a considerable distance from it. In case of an attack upon the naval forces of General Curtis the army would not be near enough to furnish any efficient aid, except in a few places. But, having agreed to go, he said nothing; neither did Jack.

The advance of the array moved out of Batesville on the morning of the twenty-fourth of June. Then came each of the three divisions in its order, and by noon the town was deserted. The navy pushed off from the shore and floated slowly down the stream, the captain, who had been promoted by his associates to the rank of admiral, ordering his men to make no exertions at the oars other than might be necessary to keep their craft in the current. Some of the natives of the country offered to assist as pilots, and one of them who claimed to know all about the river was taken aboard the “Cordelia,” the boat where Harry and Jack were serving, and to which they had given the name. He was so enormously fat that Jack suggested he should be called Pauncheous Pilot, but he was careful to keep the suggestion from the ears of the subject of it.

The youths had intrusted their horses to the care of two of their comrades, as it was not practicable to take them on board the “Cordelia,” which had only sufficient room for her crew and was encumbered with boxes and other freight. Convenient loopholes had been made between the bales of cotton, so that the occupants of the boats could defend themselves from musketry fire without serious risk. The oars or sweeps were operated in openings between the bales somewhat wider than the loopholes, and movable screens of thick plank were arranged so that the oarsmen would be fairly well protected.