"I am coming, Fairy Prince, I am coming!"
And a sweet bird of hope was singing in her ears that all would yet be well with the brave Dream lad of her girlish years.
"I will serve the others too," she said, "for in good faith I love my country well."
At Great Bridge all was bustle and confusion. But the wounded had been carried into a long, low building, really a tobacco warehouse, now turned into hospital barracks.
Doctor Hancocke, who had knowledge of diseases and wounds as well as of drugs and medicines, made himself both useful and welcome. He soon found Lionel among the badly wounded, his hurt having come through a spent ball that hurled the young man against a gun-carriage with such force that his back was injured and one shoulder put out of joint. Then, as fever had set in, the young man was in a bad way.
Sally could well have both laughed and cried at Mammy Leezer when they told her Lionel's case was thought to be serious.
She put on her most dragoon-like air, and seemed defying the whole army to tell her that again.
"Who say dat dat boy am hurt powerful bad?" she sniffed. "Ain't they done been tole his ole Mammy am come? What's goin' to be de matter with my Mars' Lion once I gets to nussin' 'im? They better stop cackling, de whole caboodle ob dem, and leave my Mars' Lion 'lone with me!"
They were only too glad to have the capable old woman around. And in truth, so jealous was Mammy Leezer of her charge that she would allow no one to assist her day or night except Sally, even attending to the wounded shoulder herself, which Doctor Hancocke felt satisfied she was treating with skill.
Sally was glad to see in how many ways she could make herself useful. She showed fine nerve and fettle, even helping to wind the bandages around a wound, and being left in charge of certain sick ones while older nurses attended to those who were more helpless.