‘Bullee!’ exclaimed Ephraim excitedly. ‘This is whar we came down yesterday, and thar’s old Blue Bag ready and willin’ ter carry us out er this pesky difficulty. Bullee!’
However willing Blue Bag might be, it was a question whether she would be able to aid her enthusiastic inventor, for what between her travels and the time which had elapsed since she had been hauled down and fastened to the log, a considerable quantity of gas had leaked out of her, not to speak of that which Ephraim had deliberately set free in order to bring about the descent. Still, she floated with a certain amount of buoyancy, and Ephraim believed and hoped that when lightened of every remaining scrap of ballast, she would be capable of rising to a certain height, and of floating them out of the dangerous proximity of the contending forces.
‘She wobbles a bit,’ said Ephraim, eyeing the balloon critically; ‘but I reckon she’s good enuff yit ter take us past the Yanks, and thet’s all we want. It don’t matter whether we come down in Staunton or in Winchester, s’ long ez we git cl’ar er Lewiston. Come on, Luce. Thar couldn’t be a better way than this. We’ve all the luck this mornin’.’
He had forgotten Luce’s little peculiarity in the matter of balloons, and with another joyous ‘Come on!’ darted again into the open. The next instant, finding himself alone, he stopped and looked back.
Lucius, deadly pale, with a queer strained look in his eyes, his knees knocking together, and his body swaying from side to side, was standing where Ephraim had left him, apparently unable to proceed.
‘What has struck ye, Luce?’ asked Ephraim anxiously. ‘Why don’t ye come?’
‘I can’t,’ gasped Lucius. ‘I daren’t. It makes me sick to think of it. I’d rather die.’
‘Waal,’ returned Ephraim, hugely disappointed, ‘ef ye can’t, ye can’t. I’d fergotten how ye felt about it. No matter, we’ll make fer the woods on the other side.—Ah, by time!’
He rushed back to Lucius and seized him by the hand. ‘Thar’s no help fer it, Luce,’ he cried. ‘Ye must come onless ye reely want ter die. I kin see the gleam er bay’nets through the trees on the other side. We shall be headed off. Thar’s no other way.’
He dragged Lucius forward with all his might; but the boy hung back, sliding his feet over the ground like a jibbing pony.