Spake As a Dragon Read online

Chapter Thirty-Three

  THE PICNIC

  Sitting under an apple tree high upon the mountainside Luke and Catherine can see the farm down below; the wind rustles softly through the leaves, the air is warm blowing moving waves across the sea of grass as far as the eye can see. The ripening apples scent the air with a pleasant sweet smell.

  They are enjoying a summer picnic.

  Spread out on the blanket are fruits and melons recently picked from their garden and orchard. Savoring the taste of freshly picked strawberries Luke has a far-away look in his eye as he looks out across the rippling, wind-blown grass.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” says Catherine.

  “Oh, just thinking of home and my family. Wondering if I will ever get back to Alabama again.”

  “You remember the day you and Sam brought that bear down from the mountain? And you took me in your arms and kissed me?”

  “Why, I never...you were the one that did all that kissing stuff.”

  “Didn’t that kiss tell you something?”

  “Oh yeah, it told me how cold I was.”

  Picking up a piece of fruit and throwing it at Luke she pouted by saying, “Why Luke Scarburg I ain’t never!”

  “You ain’t never what?”

  “Didn’t you know right then and there that I loved you?”

  “Loved me? Catherine, you’re just a kid. That is just a silly notion on your part. Some day you’ll find a fine young man and settle down with him and raise a dozen children.”

  Sliding over close to Luke, her long golden hair waved in the breeze as she took his face in her hands, her sky blue eyes looked deep within his as she planted a big kiss on his lips. “I’ve already found the man I want to settle down with.”

  Pulling back, Luke said stammering and stuttering, “Hmm, uh... you just wait a minute, Catherine Babb, like I said you’re just a kid! You’re just eighteen, and Catherine, I’m thirty-two!”

  “I was nineteen my last birthday Luke Scarburg, and if you won’t have me, I guess I’m just going to be an old maid!” She said wiping a fake tear from her eye with her dainty embroidered handkerchief, “and besides in only thirteen years I’ll be thirty-two also!”

  “Now, now, Catherine do not cry. I promised your father I would see after you and if that means marriage then, I’ll do that too.” Slipping back across the blanket closer to Catherine, “I’m just a big liar Catherine, I remember that kiss like it was yesterday, I’ve loved you from that first night I saw you when we stumbled into your house from the blizzard. I thought you were the prettiest thing that I have ever laid my eyes on.”

  “Truly Luke? And you’re not just saying that ‘cause you told Father you would see after me?”

  “Yes, I truly mean it, I just thought a beautiful young girl like you would never care about an old, war-weary, soldier like me.”

  “Yes, I do care, I care deeply,” Catherine said throwing her arms around his neck again. “I love you Luke Scarburg, you old galoot.”

  As they were finishing their day together Catherine was packing up when Luke took her hand in his, “Catherine it is summer, harvest season will be upon us before we know it and then we must leave. We must go to Alabama.”

  “By ‘we’ you mean me, Sam and Nate.”

  Putting his arms about her waist and pulling her close, he kissed her, “Yes you bet I mean we!”

  THE MAP

  Back at the ranch Nate and Sam were sitting on the front porch. Nate had his boots propped upon the porch railing. He grinned as Luke and Catherine walked toward the front steps, “You young’ens have a good time?”

  Luke slapped Nate’s boot with his hat, “Yes we did you old coot, besides it ain’t none of your beeswax!”

  “Well, it took you long ‘nuff to see them sparklers in Miss Catherine’s eyes. I thought you had gone blind. Thought you might git around to a little sparkin’ sooner or later.”

  “Oh, hush up, you old busy body. Now that everyone is here, especially you Sam, I wanted to give you back that gold nugget and the map to the gold stream once again.”

  “Now wait a minute Luke, you mean the tale you told me and Nate about those outlaws, old Lucas and that bear was all true?” Catherine said finding her a chair. “Well, I’ll be, I thought you and Sam made up that story on account of me being so mad at you both for that bear you brought in.”

  “Yes, it was all true, and the gold filled stream is also true as you can see by the size of this nugget,” said Luke handing her the nugget and the map to Sam. “I am going to carry you and Sam to my folk’s home in Alabama.

  Speaking to Sam, “Once you are of age Sam you can come back here, find that stream, and become one of Kentucky’s richest men. As far as Catherine, I’ve asked her to marry me and we intend to make us a good life in Alabama. Is all this fine with you Sam?”

  Nodding his head yes, he could not take his eyes off the beautiful gold nugget Catherine was admiring.

  “All right now that’s settled let’s do some planning. It is late spring, Resurrection Sunday had come and gone and the 4th of July is nearing. We have finished the planting; harvest time should be in a month or two. We must dry what vegetables and fruit we can; we have to kill the game and cure it and make jerky. The first cold freeze we need to butcher a hog, cure and salt as much of the meat as we can for the trip. The main thing: we must take our provisions with us, we cannot rely on trying to supply our needs from the countryside – this War has exhausted everything. There is nothing to be had; we cannot forage along our route of travel. We must get on the trail in the early fall, winter will be just ahead, so we will have to prepare all our provisions and leave before the first snowfall. We can be in Alabama in about a month, give or take. We definitely should be able to get there before Christmas.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  GOING BACK TO CAROLINA

  A couple of days after the sheriff’s deputy posted the Eviction Notice on the entrance post Malinda was sitting on the back veranda watching the evening sun drop behind the soft, rolling hills of Brindlee Mountain to her west. There were just enough clouds to color the sunset in brilliant shades of orange, red, yellow and white. What a wonderful picture this would make, she thought. Her mind was on the sunset and she did not hear the gentle hooves of a horse stepping around the corner of the house.

  “Good evening Señorita,” LaPree said tipping his hat with his hand.

  “What are you doing here you scoundrel? And don’t be referring to me as a señorita, you know I am a married woman!”

  “Ah yes, that is what I have come this evening to talk to you about. You have not heard a word from your man, what is his name, Robert, yes, that is right Robert. But he has not posted you a letter since his leaving. Do you not find this strange? You know, I don’t think your Robert is comin’ back, so I thinks for me to call you Señorita is correct.”

  “I’m telling you LaPree get off my place!”

  “Now, now Señorita Malinda do not be so hasty – it will not be as you say ‘your place’ in another month or so, but I have a solution to your problem. You see, I will own this place pretty quick now, and I have always thought you to be a handsome woman Malinda – ah, Malinda, such a pretty name too, I see no reason that you cannot stay on when I buy this farm. Of course, some arrangements will have to be made if you get my understanding.”

  Getting up from her chair she moves toward the door, “I’ll tell you what my understanding is Señore LaPree – it’s this 12-gauge shotgun I’ve got standing here by my door – I’m going to show you what my ‘understanding’ is you dirty dog!” Malinda reaches inside the door, grabs the gun swings it around to face LaPree but the yard is empty. LaPree has left as silently as he arrived.

  MOVING OUT

  It was late spring; the sun was getting pretty hot this time of the year in northern Alabama. Removing her bandana to wipe the sweat, Sary speaks to Malinda, “Lands sake Mizz Malinda is we gonna take everthin’ we’s got back to Caroline?”

  �
��Oh, hush up Sary and keep loading these wagons, you know we will have to live off of everything we take with us.”

  “Yes’em, but I worried ‘bout that poor old hoss and them two mules, they got to haul all of this stuff.”

  “I know, you’re right Sary, that’s why I’ve been loading most of our heavier things in the big wagon, those mules can pull that load pretty well. We’ll give them plenty of rest along the way; we won’t be in a hurry. Blaze can take care of this two-wheel cart, she isn’t used to pulling a wagon, but the cart isn’t much different than pulling a plow, she’ll be fine.

  Sary replies, “In a few days it’s gwine to be the 1st of May. I’m thinkin’ that should be ‘bout right for us to get on the road, besides the notice is plumb neer run out and we’s been lucky Simeon LaPree hasn’t been back for them boys. Yeah, its time for us to get going whiles we can.”

  Wrong, though Malinda, he’s been back all right, but you’re right about one thing – he was after something all right, but it wasn’t the boys!

  In a couple of days Malinda announced that tomorrow morning they were to hitch the teams to the wagons, grab their guns, tie the cow to the cart and they were going to begin their adventurous journey to Carolina.

  The sun was barely up and all the Scarburg family, including Sary, had gathered in the front yard. Mattie Ann was sniffling, and a tear could be seen at the edge of Malinda’s eye.

  “Mama,” said William, “let’s burn the place to the ground, the barn too before we go and I’ll drop one of the dead barn animals down the water well then I’ll pour in a gallon of kerosene. It ain’t right they should take our home!”

  “Hush up with that kind of talking boy, we’re a Christian family and we’re gonna remain a law-abiding Christian family, do you hear me? I know it doesn’t feel right, but taking out spite is not in our family’s nature, you understand? Besides, we’ll need that kerosene before we reach Scarlett.” William had his head bowed, but he nodded he understood. “All right then, let’s get on these wagons, but before, bow your heads, “The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 20:25”

  “Miz Malinda,” said Sary, “can I have my say too?”

  “Of course,” Malinda replied.

  Sary looks at all those getting ready to get upon the wagons and asks them to kneel. In a circle they all join hands as Sary begins,

  “Oh, Lords, be our guide and our protector on this here journey we’s about to take.

  Watch over us. Protect us from those low-down rascal thieves and them no-account ruffians on the road. Don’t let no harm come to our body and soul. Now Lords what you dos with them, now that’s your bizness, I jes prays you learn them the error of their sinful lives.

  Dear Lords, prop us up with Your grace when we’s get plumb tuckered out. Helps us to always be patient in any trouble, which may come our way.

  Keep us always mindful of Your presence and love. May God in heaven ride with us on this dangerous journey… and may you sends one of your angels to protect us and give us a helping hand, if the need comes. Amen”

  After a moment or two of silence Malinda said, “Well, I guess that just about covers it...”

  “No,” said Sary walking toward their small family cemetery under the big old oak tree, “I got to say good-bye to Jed, Jefferson and your sweet little Margaret.”

  “Hold up Sary I want to go with you.”

  Walking toward the small cemetery to pay their last respects Malinda asks Sary, “You’re sure we packed Luke’s big family Bible?”

  “I’m sure Mizz Malinda. I done put it in its wooden box.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  BURIAL DETAIL

  Robert was in hog heaven. Spring had come and gone and he had one of the best jobs in the whole camp. Of course, the Commandant Colonel Adams was still a hard man to deal with.

  After his demotion at Gettysburg from General to Colonel, he seemed to take his bitterness out on everyone and everything. He had become a very cruel and unforgiving man. Any prisoner brought before him was dealt with in a harsh and sometimes brutal and sadistic manner.

  He even had a pair of wooden stocks built in the middle of the prison. Prisoners guilty of minor offenses had their heads and hands thrust through the stocks and stood there sometimes for days. During periods of cold or rainy weather prisoners in the stocks that were of poor physical condition most times died a merciful death. Healthier ones sometimes went days before the Colonel would allow them a few morsels of food or a sip of water.

  Robert tried his hardest not to fall out of the good graces of the Commandant and did everything within his power to please Sergeant Belue.

  Blue could be just as ruthless, if not more so, than the Colonel at times.

  Robert remembered one time, especially when two prisoners argued over the ownership of a wooden hardtack box. The disagreement led to a round of fist-a-cuffs. Neither prisoner was in good enough shape to do the other any actual harm, but Sergeant Blue broke up the fight... well, better called the wrestling match, “So you two want to see who is the better man, huh?” Having procured another hardtack box he had the prisoners fill both boxes with rocks. “Now hold these over your heads, the first to drop their box will be the loser, the other may have the cracker box.”

  He summoned one of the black guards and instructed him to jab them with his bayonet each time one of the prisoners tried to lower his box. He stood the two men out by the stocks and began the contest. The black guard was all too eager to fulfill his orders. Once a box began to come down the guard would thrust his bayonet into the body of the offender, sometimes he would penetrate the skin an inch or so. Blood was streaming down the legs of both men. It was beginning to puddle upon the ground, but Blue would not allow them to stop. Finally, one of the men dropped his box and he fell prostrate upon the ground, “Kill him,” Blue said to the guard who immediately thrust his bayonet clean through the man lying on the ground. The remaining man dropped his box and fell to his knees. Blue said to the black guard, “He will have no need of a cracker box either, kill him too.” The guard did as ordered.

  For a couple of months, all the talk around the prison was about the peace talks – peace at last. The summer was hot on that narrow spit of land between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. The Bay and the River increased the humidity to such a degree that any bit of fatigue duty resulted in the death of some of the men. As the summer dragged on Robert thought the Commandant was losing so many men, the Colonel might hold back on the work details when the days were so hot. This was not to be the case; in fact death among the prisoners had gotten so bad Robert was assigned the detail of picking burial details for the dead.

  Robert loathed this assignment. Picking people to dig graves in this hot, sweltering weather was just like giving them their own death sentence. Men within the camp would hide when they saw Robert walking among them.

  The burial detail had gotten so sickly Robert thought something must be done, so he approached Sergeant Belue. Catching Blue by himself at the Commandant’s office Robert asked, “Sergeant, I know you are aware of it, but I am burying almost as many from the burial detail as I am the prison dead.”

  “That’s good, the more we can get rid of the better.”

  Robert thought he would be bold, however it might be a foolish move on his part, “Sarge, may I talk frankly? The talk all over Point Lookout is the War is about over. I know you have noticed in the past few weeks the amount of prisoners arriving have almost stopped.”

  “What’s yer point Bob?”

  “Blue, you and I have somewhat become friends since I came to work for the Commandant,” would you say that is true?”

  “Sure, I suppose I can tolerate your Rebel arse, what yer trying to say?”

  “The men I have to pick for burial details are so emaciated and starved they cannot be effective workers. I would like to ask your permission to establish a special group of prisoners as a permanent burial detail
. I would like you to give me permission to get the cook to provide these men on burial detail extra rations so I can build up their strength and stamina. Second, and this is personal Blue, and I speak not as your enemy but as a friend – when this War ends Officers and Enlisted men who have misused or abused their positions, now I’m not saying this would include you, will certainly be held accountable. After every war the Congress has established committees to oversee the past conduct of the war, this will include maltreatment or abuse of prisoners. Those in charge can and have, in the past, gone to prison for their part. Compassion to those that have been in charge might be used in their favor, I’m just saying in case a person was to be charged.”

  Blue sat with a blank stare on his face, he blinked a couple of times as thought awaking from a dream and said, “I see yer point Bob, tell the cook to do it, it makes sense.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  THE SWAMP FOX

  “Mama,” said Mattie Ann, as she moved upon the seat with Malinda, “how far is it to Scarlettsville?”

  “Hon, I really don’t know, when we came to Alabama your father said it would take us about two weeks to get there, but it took us nearly a month. Back then we had your father, Uncle Jed and Jefferson, now it’s just us, so I say it will take us a couple of months, if all goes well.”

  “What about my sister Cecelia June, why don’t you ever talk about her? Will she be at Scarlettsville when we get there?”

  “Baby girl, the reason I do not talk about Cecelia to you is simply the fact that it is very difficult to speak about her. You’re old enough now, so I’ll tell you about her. She married Lester Smith in July of 1849, we left for Alabama in ’52.”