Chasing an Iron Horse Part 25

"I heard some one--I think it was the Provost-Marshal--talking to the jailer this morning, at the front door of the prison. I was looking out of the window; you fellows were all playing games. 'Keep a very strict eye on those engine-stealers,' the marshal said; 'a court is going to try them--and you know what that means--death! A trial will be nothing more than a formality, for the whole fourteen of them are spies, under the rules of war. They were soldiers who entered the enemy's line in civilian disguise. So don't let them get away.'"

Macgreggor's listeners stirred uneasily. This was not what might be called pleasant news.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" asked Jenks.

"I hadn't the heart to," returned Macgreggor. "You boys were all so cheerful."

Watson cleared his voice.

"I tell you what it is, boys," he whispered, as he gave Waggie a mournful pat; "if we don't want to be buried in an Atlanta graveyard we must escape!"

George's white face flushed at the thought. The idea of liberty was dazzling, after so many weary days.

"Well," said one of the men, in the same low tone, "it's better to escape, and run the risk of failing or of being re-captured, than to rot here until we are led out to be hanged."

"Let's invent a plan that will enable us not only to get out, but to _stay_ out," laughed Jenks.

There was dead silence for nearly ten minutes. The men, who had been sitting on the floor watching two of their number at a game of checkers, were deep in thought. At last Watson opened his lips.

"I have a plan," he whispered. "Tell me what you think of it. You know that about sunset the darkies come into the rooms to leave us our supper.

The jailer stands outside. Then, later, the jailer comes and takes away the dishes. He is then alone. Suppose we seize him, gag him, take his keys, unlock all the doors on this floor, and release all the prisoners.

As you know, there are a number besides our own party--whites and negroes.

All this must be quietly done, however, if it is to prove successful. Then we can go down-stairs, without making any noise, overpower the seven sentinels, take their guns, and make off, after locking up these gentlemen."

Watson went further into details, to show the probable workings of his scheme. It was finally agreed that the dash was well worth the trial. As Jenks remarked: "It's either that or a few feet of cold rope, and a coffin!"

The late afternoon of the next day was fixed upon for the escape. In addition to the fourteen remaining adventurers, a Union captain from East Tennessee, who shared the room with them, was to be a.s.sociated in this daring enterprise. It seemed to George as if the hour would never come; but as the sun began to sink gradually towards the horizon on the following afternoon he realized, from the feverish restlessness of the whole party, that there was not much longer to wait.

"Keep up your nerve, fellows," said Watson, who had become the leader of the party, "and remember that all depends upon the quietness with which we conduct things on this floor, so that the guard below won't take the alarm."

As he spoke there was a rattling of keys and a creaking of locks. The heavy door of the room opened, and in walked Waggie. He had been having a walk, with a daughter of the jailer, and one of the negro servants had taken him up-stairs and unlocked the door. The next moment the key was turned; the prisoners were again shut in from the world.

"Poor little Waggie," said Macgreggor. "Is he going too?"

"I've taken him through too much to leave him behind now," said George fondly. "Look. This is as good as a kennel." He pointed to an overcoat, which the East Tennessee Captain had given him, and showed on one side a large pocket. The side of the latter was b.u.t.toned up closely to the coat.

The minutes dragged along. Finally Watson said, with a sort of mournful impressiveness: "Boys, let us all bid each other good-bye. For some of us may never meet again!"

The men clasped one another by the hand. In the eyes of most of them were tears--not timid tears, but the tears of soldiers who had become attached to one another through suffering and hoping together. It was a solemn scene which the rays of the dying sun illumined, and George would never forget it.

Watson brushed a drop from his cheek.

"I feel better, now," he said cheerfully; "I'm ready for anything.

Remember one thing. Treat the jailer as gently as possible. He has been a kind fellow where some would have been the reverse."

"Aye," murmured his companions. It was an order which had their hearty sympathy.

In a little while there was the long-expected creaking at the door. It was supper time! Two negroes entered and placed some pans containing food upon the table. Then they retired, and the door was locked.

"Eat, boys," whispered Watson; "we don't know when we may get our next square meal."

The men soon disposed of the food. Hardly had they finished before the door was thrown open, and the jailer, an elderly, bearded man, appeared.

"Good-evening, men," he said, in a pleasant, unsuspicious voice. He halted at the doorway with the keys in his right hand.

It was a terrible moment. George felt as if he were living ten years in that one instant.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Watson Placed His Hand Over the Man's Mouth]

"Good-evening, sir," said Watson, approaching the jailer. "It's such a very pleasant evening that we intend to take a little walk." He threw back the door as he spoke.

The jailer was unprepared for this move. He did not even divine what was intended.

"How--what do you mean----" he faltered.

"We've had enough of prison life," said Macgreggor, in a calm, even voice, "and we are going to leave you. Now give up the keys, and keep very quiet, or you'll find----"

"Keep off!" cried the jailer, as he tightened his hold on the bunch of keys. He was about to call for help, but Watson placed his left hand over the man's mouth, and with his right clutched the unfortunate's throat.

Then Macgreggor seized the keys, after a sharp but decisive struggle, and hurried into the hallway, where he began to release the general prisoners.

He quickly unlocked in succession the doors of the three other rooms on the second floor. The men thus freed did not understand the significance of it all, but they saw unexpected liberty staring them in the face, and they ran out of their quarters like so many sheep.

Meanwhile the members of the engine expedition, with the exception of Watson and Macgreggor, had run almost noiselessly down the staircase, through the jailer's quarters on the first floor, and thus out into the prison yard. Some of them threw themselves upon the three soldiers in the rear of the yard, wrenched from them their muskets, crying out at the same time: "Make a movement or a cry and we'll shoot you down!" The rest of the party, among whom were George Knight and Jenks, tore into the front part of the yard, where four guards were patroling near the main door of the jail. Two of these guards were quickly disarmed. But the other two, seeing the oncoming of the prisoners, ran out of the gate of the picket fence, uttering loud cries as they went. Their escape was entirely unexpected.

The general prisoners now came tumbling into the yard, headed by Watson and Macgreggor. Watson, warned that there was no time to lose, had released his hold upon the astonished jailer. He did not know that two of the sentinels had escaped, but he arrived down-stairs just in time to see the result of their disappearance. A large reserve guard of Confederates, warned of the jail delivery by these two soldiers, came rus.h.i.+ng madly into the yard.

"Look out, boys!" cried Watson. Other members of the engine party, seeing the arrival of the troops, released the five remaining sentinels, threw down their newly acquired muskets, and began to scale the prison fence.

There came the sharp crack of rifles from the reserve guard. Whiz! The bullets rattled all around the heads of the fence-climbers, the whistling noise having for accompaniment the cries of the angry Confederates. Whiz!

Another volley! Yet no one was. .h.i.t. On the fugitives went, as they descended on the other side of the fence, and made for some woods at a distance of nearly a mile from the prison.

"After 'em, men," came the word of command to the Confederates. Soldiers were running hither and thither, while the general prisoners, who had been released by Macgreggor, were soon safely housed in their old rooms. The bullets were flying thick and fast within and without the prison yard; the scene was one of pandemonium. Ere long five of the engine party had been captured, three inside of the yard and two immediately outside. Among these were Jenks and Macgreggor who were both uninjured, but both very much disheartened. Soon there was the clatter of hoofs, and a troop of cavalry dashed up to the front of the jail.

"No more chance of escape!" said Jenks bitterly, as he looked out of the barred window. He could hear the cavalry colonel excitedly crying: "Hunt down the fellows till you have every one of them!"

"I hope some of the boys will get off," remarked Macgreggor. "Any one who is captured is sure to be hung now." Afterwards another prisoner was captured. There were now six of the party back in jail.

Where were Watson and George during this escapade? No sooner had the former cried out his warning, on the approach of the reserve guard, than he made directly for George, who was in the back part of the yard.

"Come on," he said, in tones of suppressed excitement, "over the fence with us. It's our only chance--now!"

Imitating the example of others the man and boy were soon balanced on top of the wooden fence. Whirr! George was conscious of a whistling sound, and a bullet flew by him as it just grazed the tip of one ear.

"Hurry up!" urged Watson. In another second the two had dropped from the fence and were running like mad over a large field.

"Halt!" cried some voices behind them. Looking back they could see that about a dozen soldiers were in hot pursuit. A ball sped by George, dangerously near the capacious pocket in which Waggie was ensconced; a second bullet would have ended the life of Watson had it come an inch nearer the crown of his head.

"Look here," said Watson. "These men are fresh--we are weakened by imprisonment--they will get up to us in the end. Let's try a trick. The next time the bullets come we'll drop as if we were dead."

At that moment another volley rattled around and over them. Watson threw up his arms, as if in agony, and sank on the gra.s.s. George uttered a loud cry, and went down within a few feet of his companion.