searching for something or someone. He looked deep into her eyes, as if looking for a piece of a puzzle.
Finally he glanced down at her bloody hand. For aninstant Perry watched sorrow cross his face, as though he could feel her pain as well as his own. “My God, boy, what happened to your hand? Abram, get a bandage.”
Perry stared at Hunter as he frowned at her bloody hand. She marveled how only moments before, when he’d faced two desperate men, his voice was without emotion; however, anger and concern echoed now in his words. Caring had replaced courage in a blink of his gray eyes.
Within seconds Abram was at her side, examining the knife cut. He lifted Perry effortlessly into the wagon beside Hunter so the captain could examine her hand.
“Your palm’s as soft as a girl’s.” Hunter laughed as he supervised the bandaging.
Abram grunted at Hunter’s remark but said nothing. The cut wasn’t deep, and soon the pain subsided as Hunter talked to her. He seemed to be rambling to keep her mind busy while Abram cleaned the blood away.
“Boy, have you ever seen one of our balloons?” Hunter asked.
Perry shook her head. She’d read about the North using balloons to observe battles but had never seen one.
“The only thing greater than watching them drift into the sky is being in one as it lifts. I first saw one six years ago in the summer of ‘59. Abram and I traveled over two weeks to watch Professor Wise launch his balloon,
Atlantic.
It beat anything I’d ever seen. It was a huge balloon, bordered on either side by smaller ones, lifting a gondola with four men inside. Just think, kid, it covered over eight hundred miles in less than twenty hours.
“Old Professor Wise plans to cross the Atlantic soon, if Lowe doesn’t beat him. When the war’s over, I bet Lowe tries again.” Hunter was speaking half to himself as he watched Abram wrap Perry’s hand.
Perry raised her head. She remembered hearing the name Lowe before. Captain Williams had said something about a Professor Lowe needing Hunter back fast. She’d known by the tone of Williams’s voice that Professor Lowemust be someone important. “Who is this crazy man, Lowe, who wants to cross the ocean in a bubble?” she asked, hoping to encourage Hunter, for his face was already tight with fatigue.
“I wouldn’t call the chief of our Army’s aeronautical division a crazy man. He’s a genius. He put a telegraph up in a balloon in ‘61. He attached it to a cable holding the balloon. We can send information down from five thousand feet up.”
Abram said, “It was a telegraph cable that almost got us killed a few days ago.”
Hunter laughed, forgetting his own pain for a moment. “Maybe so, but it’s not usually dangerous. Men have been going up in balloons for almost a hundred years now. I’ve heard Marie Antoinette watched the first test flight in 1783.”
Perry was fascinated by Hunter’s story as he told of early ballooning. He examined Abram’s work on her hand while he talked. She saw that tiny lines wrinkled the corners of his eyes.
“Fine job, Abram. You may have missed your calling. Instead of floating around with me, maybe you should have tried doctorin’.” Hunter’s voice was light as he teased Abram.
Abram agreed. “I’d have had plenty of patients traveling with you.”
Hunter smiled at his old friend. “We’d better get the horses hitched up before our friends wake up.” Then, to Perry, he added softly, “Why don’t you strip that shirt off and wash the blood out of it before we start moving.”
Hunter leaned back, and within seconds his eyes closed in sleep, as though his few sentences had exhausted all his energy. Perry watched him curiously, studying the lines of his face for any signs of laughter. Could he have suspected her gender? Perry smiled to herself, thinking of the shock Hunter would have if she did remove her shirt. She wondered if the sight of her bare chest would stir his blood,as his had warmed
Finally he glanced down at her bloody hand. For aninstant Perry watched sorrow cross his face, as though he could feel her pain as well as his own. “My God, boy, what happened to your hand? Abram, get a bandage.”
Perry stared at Hunter as he frowned at her bloody hand. She marveled how only moments before, when he’d faced two desperate men, his voice was without emotion; however, anger and concern echoed now in his words. Caring had replaced courage in a blink of his gray eyes.
Within seconds Abram was at her side, examining the knife cut. He lifted Perry effortlessly into the wagon beside Hunter so the captain could examine her hand.
“Your palm’s as soft as a girl’s.” Hunter laughed as he supervised the bandaging.
Abram grunted at Hunter’s remark but said nothing. The cut wasn’t deep, and soon the pain subsided as Hunter talked to her. He seemed to be rambling to keep her mind busy while Abram cleaned the blood away.
“Boy, have you ever seen one of our balloons?” Hunter asked.
Perry shook her head. She’d read about the North using balloons to observe battles but had never seen one.
“The only thing greater than watching them drift into the sky is being in one as it lifts. I first saw one six years ago in the summer of ‘59. Abram and I traveled over two weeks to watch Professor Wise launch his balloon,
Atlantic.
It beat anything I’d ever seen. It was a huge balloon, bordered on either side by smaller ones, lifting a gondola with four men inside. Just think, kid, it covered over eight hundred miles in less than twenty hours.
“Old Professor Wise plans to cross the Atlantic soon, if Lowe doesn’t beat him. When the war’s over, I bet Lowe tries again.” Hunter was speaking half to himself as he watched Abram wrap Perry’s hand.
Perry raised her head. She remembered hearing the name Lowe before. Captain Williams had said something about a Professor Lowe needing Hunter back fast. She’d known by the tone of Williams’s voice that Professor Lowemust be someone important. “Who is this crazy man, Lowe, who wants to cross the ocean in a bubble?” she asked, hoping to encourage Hunter, for his face was already tight with fatigue.
“I wouldn’t call the chief of our Army’s aeronautical division a crazy man. He’s a genius. He put a telegraph up in a balloon in ‘61. He attached it to a cable holding the balloon. We can send information down from five thousand feet up.”
Abram said, “It was a telegraph cable that almost got us killed a few days ago.”
Hunter laughed, forgetting his own pain for a moment. “Maybe so, but it’s not usually dangerous. Men have been going up in balloons for almost a hundred years now. I’ve heard Marie Antoinette watched the first test flight in 1783.”
Perry was fascinated by Hunter’s story as he told of early ballooning. He examined Abram’s work on her hand while he talked. She saw that tiny lines wrinkled the corners of his eyes.
“Fine job, Abram. You may have missed your calling. Instead of floating around with me, maybe you should have tried doctorin’.” Hunter’s voice was light as he teased Abram.
Abram agreed. “I’d have had plenty of patients traveling with you.”
Hunter smiled at his old friend. “We’d better get the horses hitched up before our friends wake up.” Then, to Perry, he added softly, “Why don’t you strip that shirt off and wash the blood out of it before we start moving.”
Hunter leaned back, and within seconds his eyes closed in sleep, as though his few sentences had exhausted all his energy. Perry watched him curiously, studying the lines of his face for any signs of laughter. Could he have suspected her gender? Perry smiled to herself, thinking of the shock Hunter would have if she did remove her shirt. She wondered if the sight of her bare chest would stir his blood,as his had warmed
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