The Big Gun (Dusty Fog's Civil War Book 3) (25 page)

Dusty had refused to let
concern for Staunce
’s welfare distract him from his duty. So he had stated his
intentions. There had been strong protests from Sergeant Majors
Billy Jack and Smalley when Dusty had said that he personally would
visit the island. Neither man’s arguments had come close to swaying
the small Texan from his resolve.

As always, Dusty was not
charging blindly or emotionally into a desperately perilous
situation. He had known something of the risks involved and had set
about finding a means of circumventing, or reducing, them. So he
had asked for and listened to his companion
’s suggestions. One thing had been
obvious from the beginning. It was hardly a task that could be
carried out by a single man. So they had started to decide who
should go with Dusty. Having allowed the men to say their pieces,
Harry had dropped her bombshell. Quietly, without fuss, she had
declared her intention of accompanying the small Texan.

No amount of argument, nor grim
warnings of the great
danger involved, on Dusty’s or Gable’s part had
served to dissuade Harry. In fact, despite all his misgivings, the
young captain had been compelled to admit that the arguments she
was putting up made good sense.

Harry knew the area, both Nimrod Lake and
the island, like the back of her hand. Even more important, Mama
Lukie knew and trusted her. It would never do for Cable to be
recaptured by Lyle. Neither of his Negro assistants could be spared
from their work in helping to keep Pulling Sue and the big gun
moving, even if they had had the kind of reckless disregard for
danger that was necessary for such a hazardous undertaking.

Having considered all the
girl
’s
points, the men had been forced to concede that—apart from the very
great element of danger involved—she was the best choice for
Dusty’s companion.

Even Cable had grudgingly gone
along with the majority. After which, they had set about
considering how best Dusty and the girl could go about the visit.
The Cables
’
local knowledge proved invaluable in this matter. The engineer had
told Dusty of a friend who lived in the vicinity and who could be
trusted to render every assistance.

After formulating a line of
action for the girl and himself, Dusty had given orders to his men.
There was no cover for over a mile on the northern side of the
lake; but Billy Jack was to take half of Company C as near as he
could without being detected by the guards on the bridge. If they
should hear shooting
—not a single shot, Dusty had insisted, but sufficient
firing to know that the Negroes were being attacked—they were to
charge down and attempt to effect a rescue. If they were fortunate,
the Yankees would be so occupied with the Negroes that the Texans
could arrive before the Vandenburg Volley Guns were turned upon
them.

The remainder of Company C was
to remain south of the Fourche la Fave River, under Sergeant Major
Smalley
’s
command. In the event of Dusty’s and Harry’s attempt and the other
Texans’ rescue bid failing, the Englishman was to destroy Pulling
Sue and the Big Gun. Then he was to allow Cable to decide on his
own future, but must return with his howitzers to the Confederate
States’ side of the Ouachita River.

Visiting her
family
’s
friends, Harry and Dusty had obtained the items they required to
disguise themselves. The girl was wearing a sunbonnet, old blouse
and a too-large skirt over her shirt, breeches and riding boots.
For his part, Dusty had exchanged his Jeff Davis hat, tunic and gun
belt for a battered straw hat, patched shirt and ancient trousers.
He retained his breeches and Hessian boots, hoping—as Harry did
regarding her male attire—that the borrowed garments would conceal
them for as long as was necessary.

While their outer clothing and
having all visible skin blackened by soot would not have stood up
to even a casual inspection by daylight, they hoped that it would
be sufficient at night to lull the sentries into a sense of false
security. That could be very,
very,
important.

Knowing that the fourteen
inches
’
length and not inconsiderable bulk of the Colt 1860 Army revolver
did not render it an easily concealed weapon, Dusty had concluded
that he could not carry even one of them on his person. Instead,
the weapon belt, with its matched revolvers, was wrapped in a
burlap sack under the rear seat. Harry, who was less likely to be
searched, carried her Colt Pocket Pistol thrust into the rear of
her breeches’ waistband. Extracting it quickly in an emergency
would be impossible, but she had been warned by her companion that
she must attempt to use it only as a last resort.

At sundown, Dusty and Harry had
been guided by Kiowa to the hidden boat. Billy Jack was already
making a long circle to place his detail into their supporting
position. On the southern side of the lake, Cable and Smalley had
already selected the area from which
—if all went well—they would use the big
gun the following morning.

On boarding the little boat and
concealing his weapons, Dusty had been ready to do the rowing.
Harry had stated that to do so might strike any guards who saw them
as being out of character. Although the majority of Negro men did
not loaf around while their women did all the work, the type of
soldiers enlisted by Lyle believed that they did. So any
watcher would be
less likely to suspect the couple’s arrival, even after dark, if
Dusty was acting in what would most likely be regarded as in
keeping with a colored man’s normal, shiftless behavior.

Leaving Kiowa to take care of
their horses, Harry had started to row the boat across the lake and
towards the rear side of the island. At the conclusion of the
brief, quietly spoken conversation, she looked at the
big
young Texan.
Thinking of what lay ahead, she found herself taking comfort from
remembering the stories of his prowess and capabilities which
various members of Company C had told to her during the journey
north. Sensing that there had been much truth in the tales, she
considered Dusty ought to have a better than fair chance of pulling
them through the perils of the visit.

While talking, Dusty was also
examining his destination. Like Nimrod Lake, the island was roughly
oblong in shape and extended from east to west. Although the Gables
had assured him that the landing beach could not be seen from the
guards
’
quarters by the bridge, there was little cover available on any
side.

As Dusty had expected, the two
cressets were glowing on the main landing area of the shore. After
two visitations, Lyle could be counted upon to strengthen the
efficiency of his guards arid their aids. None of the soldiers were
in evidence, which did not rule out the possibility that one or
more could be watching from the darkness. That was why he had asked
Harry to make for the boats which had been drawn up under the
lights and above the water
’s level. To have gone elsewhere would have been
certain to arouse suspicion.

At first Dusty was puzzled by
why Lyle, making use of Cable
’s Negro employees, had not placed more cressets
along the bank. Then the answer had become obvious. Just beyond the
eastern fringe of the light, he could make out the massive bulk of
the third Vandenberg Volley gun and, close by, a shelter built to
protect the ammunition supply on the caisson. The gun was
positioned to sweep the beach, making an unauthorized departure
very hazardous.

‘
What’s wrong?’ Harry inquired as she saw Dusty stiffen
slightly.

‘
There’s at least one of them waiting for us!’ the small
Texan replied. ‘I saw just a little glint of something metallic
over by the caisson.’

‘
Just
one man?’

‘
That’s all I could see.’

‘
What
shall we do?’

‘
Keep
on going in,’ Dusty ordered. ‘If we swerve away, he’ll maybe
challenge, or even throw lead at us. Either way, we’d never get in
again tonight.’

‘
Do
you want me to go into the light?’ Harry wanted to know.

‘
Can
you make it look like you’re trying to, but’re being pulled
by?’

‘
It
shouldn’t be hard.’

‘
Go
towards the Vandenburg,’ Dusty requested.

‘
Towards
it?’ the girl breathed.

‘
Why
sure,’ Dusty confirmed. ‘That way, the feller’ll think we haven’t
seen him and don’t have any bad notions. It’ll put him even more
off his guard.’

‘
You
could be right,’ Harry admitted, but contrived to sound as if she
doubted he would be.

Watching the manner in which the girl was
handling the boat, Dusty silently conceded that he could not have
done it so well. She was bringing to bear all the experience she
had gained during her tomboy childhood. In those days, she had
spent many hours rowing on the lake. They were not sufficiently far
behind for her to have lost her touch. With swiftly taken glances
over her right shoulder, she kept the bows pointing towards the
dark bulk of the Volley Gun.

‘
Land-sakes, Mandy!’ Dusty said in a loud voice and with a
pretty fair impersonation of an exasperated Negro’s voice. ‘Why’n’t
you-all head for the lights?’

‘
I’m
trying, Jethro, I’m trying!’ Harry answered, sounding even more
realistic. ‘If you-all wasn’t such a shiftless no-account, it’d be
you rowing this boat, not me.’

‘
It
ain’t fitten for a gentleman with his freedom to row,’ Dusty
explained, using an excuse which he felt sure would be
accepted by the
listening soldier. ‘That’s woman’s work.’

Even as the words were leaving
Dusty
’s
lips, he became aware that there was not one, but
two
soldiers. The
second had been standing against the gun and had been unnoticed
until his companion joined him.

‘
You
keep abusing me!’ Harry shrilled. ‘And it won’t be no
love
-potion I gets from Mama Lukie.’

Keeping up a torrent of
protests, the girl guided the boat into the shallows until the bows
grounded. Complaining bitterly at her
‘stupidity’ in having landed them
away from the lights, Dusty rose and stepped over the side. He left
his weapons aboard, for he was not counting on them as a means of
quelling the sentries. On Harry joining him, they waded ashore.
They did not enter the illuminated section, yet avoided conveying
the impression that they were deliberately staying away from
it.

‘
Hold
it right there!’ barked a harsh voice from one of the dark shapes
which Dusty was overtly watching.

‘
Yipes!’ the small Texan yelped, while Harry acted equally
alarmed. ‘Who-alls’s there?’

Advancing, the pair of large
figures proved to be a sergeant, with empty
hands
—but
whose weapon belt carried a holstered revolver and a saber—and an
enlisted man armed with a Spencer rifle. Footsteps sounded at the
far side of the lighted area and a second burly, rifle-toting
soldier hurried across it.

‘
Who’re you pair,’ Sergeant Block demanded, ‘and what’re you
doing here?’

‘
We’ve
come to see Mama Lukie, sir,’ Dusty answered, studying the trio as
they converged upon him and the girl.

‘
At
this time of the night?’ Block growled.

‘
It’s
all Mandy’s fault, sir,’ Dusty explained humbly. ‘She just wouldn’t
row no faster.’

‘’
T’ain’t my place to row—!’ Harry began
indignantly.

‘
Where’ve you pair come from?’ Block interrupted.

‘
The
French place, sir,’ Dusty supplied, using the name of a family
along the Fourche la Fave River who were suspected of having Union
sympathies. ‘We’d’ve been here sooner only Mandy wouldn’t
row—’

‘
Don’t
you-all keep on about my rowing, Jethro!’ Harry
shrilled.

‘
She’s
not bad looking, or shaped, Blocky,’ Grilpan remarked. ‘I’ve never
had a colored gal, have you?’

‘
Nope,’ the sergeant admitted and his right hand passed to
draw the saber from its sheath. With the weapon dangling at his
side, he moved to his left. ‘I don’t see why Lyle should be the
only one to have him a mite of woman-fun. Anything else on the
lake, Dasour?’

‘
Not’s
I can see,’ the second enlisted man answered, slowing his pace and
looking across the water.

All the time the conversation
had been taking place, Dusty was keeping the soldiers under
observation. After Block had drawn the
saber, Grilpan leaned his Spencer
against the Vandenburg. Dasour was still several yards away,
strolling along leisurely with his rifle at the trail.

Although Harry realized what
the soldiers
’ comments were implying, she displayed no hint of her
knowledge. Instead, she continued to berate Dusty for his insults
to her rowing ability. At the same time, she edged towards the
water. That gave Dusty an excuse to turn his back on the soldiers.
Just as he had hoped, Grilpan came up behind him. In all
probability, the soldier intended to attack him from the
rear.