And it was true. Their hoofs3 rumbled4, their carbines banged, and their charge struck three sides of the house at once. Rising only to my elbows,--and how I did that much, stiffened5 with my wound, the doctors will have to explain,--I laid my cheek to my rifle, and the light of two windows fell upon my gunsights. Every blue-coat in the hall was between me and its rear window, but one besides the officer was wounded, and with these two three others were busy; only the one remaining man saw me. Twice he levelled his revolver, and twice I had almost lined my sights on him, but twice Miss Harper unaware6 came between us. A third time he aimed, fired and missed. I am glad he fired first, for our two shots almost made one report, and-he plunged7 forward exactly as I had done over the fire-log, except that he reached the floor dead.
Ferry fired under his flash and sent him reeling into the arms of his followers8.
Thereupon came more things at once than can be told: Miss Harper's outcry of horror and pity; Charlotte's cry from the bedside--"Richard! Richard!" a rush of feet and shouts of rage in the hall below; and my leap to the head of the stairs, shouting to half a dozen gray-jackets "Two men, no more! two men to guard prisoners, no more! go back, all but you two! go back!"
A sabreless officer with a bandaged hand flew up the stair and into my face. It was Helm. "The ladies! Smith, good God! Smith, where are the girls?"
"In the smokehouse," cried Miss Harper from her knees beside the prostrate9 Federal officer; "go bring them!--Richard, Charlotte is calling you!"
I ran to Ferry's door; Charlotte was leaning busily over his bared chest, while he, still holding a revolver in his right hand, caressed11 her arm with his left. "Dick, his wound has opened again, but we must get him away at once anyhow. Isn't my wagon12 still here?--oh, thank God! there it comes now, I hear it in the back yard!"
A Confederate waiting on Miss Harper with basin and towels barely dodged13 me as I sprang to the far end of the hall and shouted down into the yard for Harry14. The little mules15, true enough, were just rattling16 round a half turn at the lower hall's back door, having been in hiding behind the stables. A score or so of cavalry17 were boisterously18 hurrying off across the yard with a few captured horses and prisoners, and I had to call the Lieutenant19 angrily a second time, to make him hear me amid their din10 and a happy confusion which he was helping20 to keep up in a fairer group. For here were all the missing feminine members of the household, white and colored, and Harry was clamorous21 with joy, compassion22 and applause, while Camille and Cécile, pink with weeping, stepped out across the high doorsill of the smokehouse, leading Ned Ferry's horse and mine.
However, there was not the urgency for instant flight that Charlotte had thought there was; night fell; a whole regiment23 of our mounted infantry24 came silently up from the rear of the plantation25 and bivouacked without lights behind a quarter of a mile of worm-fence; our two wounded and three unharmed prisoners, or Miss Harper's, I should say, for it was in response to her entreaties26 that the latter had thrown down their arms, were taken away; the dead man was borne out; lights glowed in every room, the servants returned to their tasks, a maddening fragrance27 came from the kitchen, and the three nieces flitted everywhere in their benign28 activities, never discovering the hurt on my shoulder until everything else on earth had been discovered, and then--"Oh, Richard, Richard!" from Estelle, with "Reach-hard, Reach-hard!" from Cécile, and "Mr. Smith!" from Camille, as they bathed and bound it. At length a surgeon arrived, gave a cheering opinion of Ferry and of Charlotte, and scolded Harry savagely29 for the really bad condition of his hand. Then sounds grew few and faint, our lights went out, we lay down fully30 dressed, and nearly all of us, for a while, slept.
But about two in the morning Harry awakened31 me, murmuring "Reach-hard! Reach-hard! come! our sick-train's moving. Ssh! General Austin's asleep in the next room!" I asked where Ferry was. "Already started," he whispered, "--in the General's own ambulance, with Charlotte Oliver in hers, on a mattress32, like Ned, and the four Harpers in theirs." While we stole downstairs he murmured on "Our brigade's come up and General Austin will attack at daylight with this house as his headquarters."
As we mounted I asked whither we were bound. "Tangipahoa," he said; "then by railroad to Brookhaven, and then out to Squire33 Wall's."
At the first streak34 of dawn our slow caravan35 caught the distant notes of the battle opening behind us. "That's Fisher's battery!" joyously36 cried the aide-de-camp as we paused and hearkened back. "Well, thank the Lord, this time nobody's got to go back for her doll; she's got it with her; I saw her, just now, combing its hair." We descended37 into a woody hollow, the sounds of human strife38 died away, and field and forest offered us only beauty, fragrance, peace, and the love-songs of birds.
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1
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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2
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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3
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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4
rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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6
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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7
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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8
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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9
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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13
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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14
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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16
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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boisterously
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| adv.喧闹地，吵闹地 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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22
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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28
benign
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| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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32
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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34
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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35
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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36
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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