The Big Gun (Dusty Fog's Civil War Book 3) (12 page)

‘
Do
you believe him, sir?’ Dusty inquired.

‘
He’s
a career soldier and a man of honor,’ Blaze put in. ‘I know him. He
wouldn’t have allowed the shelling to happen if he’d known about
it.’

‘
But,
according to these notices, it was done as part of a plan to make
us turn General Culver loose,’ Dusty objected. ‘Surely he’d have
been told about it, sir.’

‘
One
would think so,’ Blaze conceded. ‘But I’m inclined to believe he
wasn’t. The order could have come from higher up and, knowing that
many of their officers wouldn’t approve, they didn’t spread the
word around.’

‘
That’s possible,’ Ole Devil went on. ‘Has that damned spy
been questioned yet?’

‘
We
asked him a few, sir,’ Dusty admitted.

‘
I
won’t inquire
how
you asked,’ the general promised, frosty black eyes raking
his small nephew from head to toe.

‘
Gracias,
sir,’ Dusty replied, thinking of the methods he had
applied. The torture had been far more anticipatory than actual,
with the victim being led to expect far worse lay ahead if he
failed to cooperate. ‘He wasn’t more than a messenger, though, and
had only claimed to be a member of the Yankees’ Secret Service to
impress our “blue-bellies” with his importance. Mr. Fletcher’s
inclined to think he was telling the truth. Anyways, Meats reckons
that he’d been told to watch for a signal from the other side, then
row over. When he got there, he was given the bundle. He was to put
out some of the posters around Camden tomorrow evening, then start
to move down the river and leave more of them at the villages along
the way.’

‘
And
you
believe him?’ asked Ole Devil.

‘
I
reckon he was too scared of Kiowa and Vern Hassle to lie,’ Dusty
replied. ‘And what he said made sense. He told us he’d left the
bundle under the boat instead of taking it along straight away
because he didn’t have to start putting out the notices until
tomorrow evening and figured it would be safer there than around
his bunk at the camp. If anybody should’ve found the boat, there
was nothing to show he’d been near it.’

‘
That
sounds reasonable and likely,’ Hondo Fog stated.

‘
So
the big gun won’t be here until tomorrow evening,’ Ole Devil said,
tapping a finger on the poster.

‘
Or
the day after, sir,’ Dusty suggested. ‘They’d have to haul it up
from Arkadelphia and that won’t be done at speed. And they’ll want
folks to have seen the posters before they start throwing the
shells, so that you can be asked to set General Culver
free.’

‘
Assuming, of course, that their main purpose is to set
Culver free,’ Ole Devil replied. ‘It could be that they are hoping
to use the threat of the big gun to make us go back across the
Ouachita and face them in open battle.’

‘
That,
even more than securing Culver’s release, may be what the Union’s
high command wants,’ Blaze went on. ‘A decisive action in which we
could lose everything, or be so weakened that they can discount us
as a factor in the War.’

‘
Are
the Yankees ready to fight a major action, sir?’ Dusty wanted to
know. ‘After all, we’re holding their commanding general and they
can’t have replaced him yet.’

‘
From
the reports I’ve had, Culver was more figurehead than commanding
general,’ Ole Devil replied. ‘And, even without him, there may be
colonels with sufficient knowledge and ambition to make this
play.’

‘
Which
means that we must find some way of destroying the big gun,’ Blaze
declared. ‘And
before
we’re compelled to take mass action, if possible. But,
considering what happened to the Mounted Infantry, it won’t be
easy.’

‘
I
reckon they were seen almost as soon as they crossed the river by
the observer in the balloon,’ Dusty guessed, when the colonel
paused and every eye turned on him as if seeking his opinion. That
meant they had time to move their cavalry screen into position to
ambush the Mounted Infantry.’

‘
It’s
probably what happened,’ Blaze conceded. ‘So we’ll have to send a
large enough force, two or three Companies, next time.’

‘
With
respect, sir,’ Dusty said quietly, stiffening into a brace and
holding his voice to a flat, yet respectful tone. ‘I don’t think a
larger force is the answer.’

‘
Why
not?’Blaze asked.

‘
The
bigger the force, even if they split up, the greater chance of it
being located by the men in the balloon,’ Dusty explained. ‘Seeing
that we know now which way they’re headed, a single Company might
be able to handle it.’

‘
Your
Company, I suppose, Dustine,’ Ole Devil put in.

‘
Not
necessarily, sir,’ Dusty replied. ‘But Company C is at full
strength and—well, I’d been figuring on taking them on a long
training ride, so they’re armed and supplied ready to go. I reckon
we could handle it.’

None of the older men spoke for several
seconds, but all studied the small, blond youngster. Dusty had
already reverted to his more comfortable, non-issue style of dress
and, without any suggestion of being cocky or self-assured, he
exuded a quiet aura of confidence. If he was sent on the mission
and failed, it would not be through rashness or a lack of thought
and planning ability.

Behind a cold mask that hid all
emotion, Ole Devil was deeply concerned. He knew that the threat of
the big gun must be removed as quickly as possible. If it was not,
it could easily turn the scales in the Union
’s favor. To send Dusty across
the Ouachita might cause his death; but the same applied no matter
which officer received the assignment and
the general knew them all as well as
he did his small, blond nephew.

The question facing Ole Devil
was whether Dusty could carry out the mission. The general was
inclined to believe that he could. Regard for his
favorite nephew’s
safety could not be allowed to affect the decision. Ever since
Dusty had joined the regiment, he had proven himself a capable,
courageous and intelligent officer and leader. All three qualities
had been amply displayed in how he had dealt with the affair at
Stilton Grossing. While Dusty had had Captain Staunce’s assistance,
the main plan had been his own. What was more, the youngster had
insisted upon personally testing both sets of harness before
allowing them to be used in creating a convincing and effective
part of the deception.

‘
Very
well, Dustine,’ the general said, trying to keep his voice hard and
impersonal. ‘You will take your Company and destroy the big
gun.’

‘
Yo!’
Dusty assented, unable to suppress the eagerness he was
feeling.

Although Hondo Fog shared the
general
’s
concern for his son’s future, he forced himself to carry out his
duty.

‘
When
do you plan to move out, Dusty?’ Hondo inquired.

‘
Before midnight, if I can, sir,’ the small Texan replied.
‘Or as soon as I can after. I want to be well beyond the river by
sun-up, so that I can come at them from behind. They’ll be less
likely to expect us from that direction.’

‘
That’s good thinking, Dustine,’ Colonel Blaze praised. ‘Is
there anything you need by way of supplies?’

‘
No,
sir,’ Dusty replied. ‘Like I said, I’ve had the men set for a
three-day ride. We’ve everything we need. Except maybe—’

‘
Well?’ Blaze prompted.

‘
Could
I ask Captain Staunce to come with me, sir?’

‘
You
mean you want to take his mountain battery?’ asked Ole
Devil.

‘
Yes,
sir. Those little wheel-guns of his throw a shell for over half a
mile and, with his men handling them, come real close to hitting
what they’re aimed at. They could make our work a whole heap easier
and more certain.’

‘
Won’t
they slow you down, or be awkward to take across the river?’ Hondo
wanted to know.

‘
I
don’t think so,’ Dusty answered. ‘We’ll not be travelling too far
at a gallop and, if we have to, we can get them across on boats.
I’ve another reason for wanting Doug—Captain Staunce—along. The big
gun won’t be too far from the river. We might just be able to
capture it and fetch it back with us.’

‘
There’s not a whole lot of hope of that,’
Blaze
warned.

‘
No,
sir.’ Dusty conceded. ‘But, happen the chance comes, I’d like to be
ready for it. And Captain Staunce knows a heap more than I do about
moving a cannon.’

‘
Very
well,’ Ole Devil confirmed. ‘Take him and his battery with you. But
don’t forget that your primary objective is to
destroy
the big gun, not to try to
capture it.’

Affirming that he understood
his duty, Dusty discussed a few other points and then left the
building. Mounting his horse, he rode to the Texas Light
Cavalry
’s
camp. As he approached the wall tent which he was sharing with his
second-in-command, Red came out. Red was dressed, apart from his
hat, tunic and weapon belt.

‘
Is
everything ready for tomorrow, Cousin Red?’ Dusty asked, remaining
on the bay’s back.

‘
Why
sure,’ agreed the redhead, without displaying any great enthusiasm.
‘Fifty rounds a man for the revolvers, same for their shoulder
arms. Food for three days, just like you told me.’

‘
Bueno,
’
Dusty said.

‘
Do
we
have
to take that damned ride?’ Red asked, for he was not
looking forward with any pleasure to carrying out the long training
march which Dusty had arranged.

‘
Nope,’ the small Texan replied, watching his cousin with
amused anticipation and awaiting his reaction to the
word.

‘
Maybe
we ought to get them doing some shoot—’ Red began, then realized
what Dusty’s answer had been. ‘Did you say “no”?’

‘
That’s just what I said. Get your horse and go ask Doug
Staunce if he and his Limeys would like to come along with us and
see how a good horse-outfit does its work. Tell him Uncle Devil
reckons the exercise will do them good.’

‘
Yo!
What’s doing—Just happen Doug wants to know?’

‘
We’re
going over the Ouachita after the big gun,’ Dusty explained and was
delighted by the expression that crossed his cousin’s face. Tell
Doug that I’m hoping to be moving out by one o’clock, if not
sooner.’

Leaving Red, who dived back
into the tent to dress before setting off with the message, Dusty
made his way to his enlisted men
’s quarters. Going to the tent assigned to
the senior non-commissioned officers, he found only the sergeant
major present.

‘
Turn
out the Company, Billy Jack,’ Dusty ordered as the lanky figure
came in answer to his call. ‘Have the bugler sound “Boots and
Saddles”.’

‘
Yo!’
Billy Jack replied.
‘Only most of the new men’ve gone down to the Tavern. They were
paid and I figured they wouldn’t be wanted before
morning.’

‘
That’s all right,’ Dusty said. ‘You weren’t to
know.’

‘
I’ll
go fetch them—’

‘
Leave
that to me, you have the others making ready.’

‘
Livesey’s not going to be too happy about you taking them
away while they’ve still got money in their pockets,’ Billy Jack
warned. ‘I’d step careful, was I you, Cap’n Dusty. His uncle’s the
mayor.’

‘
I’ll
bear it in mind and be
real
polite,’ Dusty promised. ‘Have that big black
gelding we took from the Lancers for me to use, this bay’s been
pushed hard recently.’

‘
Yo!’
the sergeant major assented, but did not make an immediate start to
commencing his duties. ‘I could fetch Kiowa and Stormy Weather from
the pok—prayer meeting they’re at and have them come with
you.’

‘
Tell
them to come down after me,’ Dusty suggested.

For all his mournful appearance and habit of
always pretending to expect doom and disaster, Dusty knew that
Billy Jack was no alarmist. If he felt that the owner of the Tavern
might prove to be difficult, the small Texan was willing to accept
his summation.

Having accepted Billy
Jack
’s
offer, Dusty set his mount into motion. Holding the bay to a
canter, he wasted no time in covering the half mile separating the
camp from Camden. Once there, he made his way towards the river.
The Tavern stood about fifty yards from the bank, a one floor stone
building glowing with light and the sounds of merriment. Looking
across the water, Dusty could see little or no signs of life. As at
Arkadelphia, the Yankees had halted at long cannon shot and there
was only the red glare of their campfires to tell of their
presence.