At the gate Hedges leaned down to unfasten the latch and the scrape of metal was very loud, magnified by the silence. The gate did not creak as it swung wide; the oil on the hinges was still fresh enough to have a shine. The troopers filed through, into the deep shade of the barn. It was old but in a good state of repair, as were the other buildings spread around the big, well kept yard. The main house had a porch heavy with magnolia blossom. At the side was a neat kitchen garden.
"Nice place," the spotty faced Haskins murmured, a little enviously.
Hedges led the way around the blind side of the barn, then dismounted to peer out from the corner. His horse whinnied softly and an answering call came from within the barn.
"Where there's horses, I figure there's people," Forrest said evenly.
Hedges narrowed his eyes, scanning the front of the house, caught the slight movement of a lace curtain swinging back into place. "You figure right," he muttered and raised both hands to his face, cupping them around his mouth to shout.
But at that moment, Haskins' skittish mare saw a rat dart from under the barn and streak out into the sunlit yard. The horse reared and bolted into the open, the sudden movement causing the youngster's finger to jerk against the trigger of his musket. The sound of the report seemed to continue for an excruciating length of time and although the ball-shot whined harmlessly into the air, the cause proved more catastrophic than the effect. As Haskins' horse bucked across the yard three more gunshots rang out. Windows sprayed shards of glass across the sweet-smelling porch and three bullets smashed into the young trooper's chest, killing him instantly and lifting him clear off the saddle. The sound of his body thudding against the hard ground was somehow more horrifying than anything which had gone before.
"The sneaky shits!" Seward yelled and heeled his horse forward.
Hedges turned to face the trooper and leapt high to snatch him out of the saddle as he passed. Seward came clear and smashed into the side of the barn as his horse ran clear and keeled over, blood spouting from body and head, wounds, The reports of the defenders' guns were still ringing in Hedges’ ears as he glared down at the winded Seward.
"Frank, you see what he done to me?" Seward gasped.
Forrest spat, "Yeah, he saved your worthless hide, lunkhead. And it weren't 'cause he loves you."
Hedges stared hard and long into the shocked eyes of Seward. "I'll let you know when it's your turn to die, Seward," he said with quiet anger. "You want to commit suicide, you wait until I've got a replacement I can call on." He turned away and flattened himself against the side of the barn, raising his hands to his mouth again. "You in there, can you hear me?"
In the ensuing silence he looked at the crumpled figure of Haskins still spilling blood into the rich earth. The pause lengthened and he could hear the tense breathing of the men behind him.
Then: "What you want with us?" The speaker sounded old—but tough and determined.
"Just to pass through. Us and some men coming up behind."
"We don't want no part of the war."
"So why'd you blast Haskins," Seward muttered as be picked himself up, rubbing a bruised shoulder.
"So let us through."
"Hold hard for a minute." Silence returned to the farm. Hedges removed his hat and drew a sleeve across his hairline. He had experienced hotter weather than this and not sweated so much.
"Hey, soldier?"
"Yeah?" he called.
"Shooting that man and the horse was accidents. We thought you were attacking. We got women and property to protect." The troopers began to whisper.
"Those things are past," Hedges answered through his hands. "How about a safe conduct for the rest of us."
"We decided. You can go through."
"Obliged," Hedges answered and drew back from the corner to mount his horse.
"You trust 'em, Captain?" Douglas asked.
Hedges grinned coldly. "No, but you got any better ideas? I'll go first. Wait until I'm behind that group of huts over there and then follow me—one at a time."
Douglas nodded without enthusiasm and then looked nervously at the others before turning to follow Hedges' progress across the yard. The captain kept his horse down to a slow, even walk, deviating slightly from a direct line to swing around the carcass of Seward's horse and the sprawled body of the dead Haskins. He flicked an occasional glance towards the house and saw three broken windows, two on the lower floor and one above. Lace curtains, unmarked by the gun blasts, screened the insides of the rooms. He thought he heard—but could not be sure—the quiet sobs of a woman. His right ear itched but he suffered it, unwilling to make a move with his right hand, which was curled loosely around the stock and trigger guard of the Spencer. Sweat was sticky in his palms, armpits, behind his knees and at the small of his back. Fear rode with him and he was grateful he could still experience its power; a man without fear was a fool.
"Hey, Captain?"
Hedges cursed and almost reined his horse as he recognized Seward's whining tone.
"I ain't got a horse, Captain."
"So damn well walk," he heard Forrest hiss.
In the house a woman gasped and a few moments later Hedges was among the field workers' huts. He screwed up his eyes tightly and steeled himself against the threat of trembling muscles. Then he turned his horse and dismounted to look back across the yard, in time to see Forrest urge his horse forward into the open. He cursed softly when Bell came out only a yard behind him, followed by Douglas, then Scott, with Seward taking nervous steps at the rear. He cursed again, louder, and looked towards the broken windows as Forrest led the men around the dead horse and trooper. On his lone ride he had purposely taken a course which swung him wide away from the house. The men chose to veer in the opposite direction, angling towards the house. His angry eyes snapped back to the troopers and became mere glittering slits when he saw that each of the riders held their Colts low on their left, the blind side from the house. He opened his mouth to shout an order, but held back, realizing that any unexpected sound could signal the crack of gunfire.
But it was Forrest who provided the signal, kicking free of his stirrups and going sideways in a dive from the saddle, bringing up the revolver and sending bullets flying into the already smashed window to the left of the doorway. The others left their horses in the same way, Bell aiming for the same window as Forrest while Douglas and Scott poured lead into the lower story window. Seward grabbed the Spencer from Scott's saddle boot and broke into a run, firing at the position of the upstairs marksman. Surprise and concentrated fire power got all five men on to the porch and flattened against the house front before the defenders could loose off a single shot. The horses bolted and gunsmoke drifted across the yard like morning mist. But the smell was wrong.
"Hey, Captain," Forrest yelled.
Hedges looked in his direction and saw the stained teeth shown in a satisfied grin.
"We didn't trust 'em. This was our better idea."
He suddenly came away from the wall, pivoted in front of the window and fanned the Colt to send four bullets smashing into the room. A scream sounded from inside and he covered his head with his hands and dived through what remained of the glass. Bell went after him in a like manner as, on the other side of the porch, Douglas and Scott poured lead into their window and then crashed through. Seward kicked open the door with the heel of his boot and ran inside, the Spencer held low, his hands working the action and squeezing the trigger with the dexterity of long practice. Gunfire, screams and curses issued from the house as Hedges snatched up his own rifle and broke across the yard on the-run, He saw a muzzle jabbed out from the upper floor window and snapped, off a shot as a bullet kicked up dust only inches from his flying feet. A man screamed, a rifle sailed out of the window and then a body slumped forward across the ledge, held poised for a moment before tipping forward and crashing down onto the roof of the porch. The jolt showered Hedges with magnolia blossom as he leapt up on to the porch and loped into the house.