Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/260

MY LADY OF THE SOUTH "No patrols thrown out to protect the rear?"

"Not so far as I know: there may be a picket on the main road. We had no reason to expect any Yanks from this direction."

There was no occasion to doubt the truth of his replies, and they coincided exactly with my own conception of the situation. These were irregulars, and not disciplined soldiers, trained merely as raiders, and naturally careless as to guard lines. Besides, they had every reason to suppose the small body of Federal cavalry opposing them were without supports, and securely bottled up within the house. All they had to do was to await reinforcements, and then force surrender. Any thought of a rear attack had not once occurred to them. The situation was certainly to my liking, but what could I do with Dunn? I possessed no efficient means of binding and gagging the fellow so as to leave him safely behind, and, if Theilen was really expected by daylight, every minute was of value, the smallness of my force making it necessary that I keep the enemy separated, fighting a detachment at a time. Delay meant daylight, and an enemy outnumbering us five to one. The only feasible method was to take the Lieutenant with me back to the hut, where O'Brien could stand guard over him; while I gathered together our men for a sortie. With this in view I gripped him by the collar, hauling him roughly to his feet.

"Now, Dunn, keep exactly one step ahead of me along the edge of these weeds until you reach the orchard. Yes, I know where we are going, and any effort to break [ 246 ]