Spirit of the age., 1863-07-27

has time" Soon after this, compile Of Yam
kec soldiers came under the tree With their
guns. One of them, looking up into the
branches, said lie expected therc we're some
squirrels in the tree and raisins,his gun,
fred it. The ball passed through the skirt
of Phelps coat, causing the old fellow to
think that he had chosen quite a dangerous
hiding place. He remained silent and mo
tionless, however, and in few minutes the
Yankees departed During. the afternoon s. V.
erai Of them stopped under the.trco with a
long rope, for the purpose of making swing
One CT them ascended the tree to within =
few feet OF Old Ben. Phelps watched his op-
portunity, and when the Yankee was leaning
very far forward, endeavoring to fasten the
rope to . limb, he bent over and gave him
violent push. The fellow uttered cry of
alarm, and Clutched wildly at the limb, but
IN vain. With the force Of thunderbolt, he
| disappeared from among the branches Of the
tree, and the next instant he Was lying on,
tue ground, with his neck broken Ali this
bad happened 50 quickly, and Old Ben bad
been so quiet, taat the Yankees merely
thought that their companion hal missed his
| footing and fallen. They raised him quickly,
and bore him towards the rodoubt Phelps
watched them as they moved along and
| feeling Of savage JOY filed his heart, for he
felt that he had paid another portion of his
debt of vengeance.
When it was dark, he descended from the
| tree, and novel forward in the direction Of
the redoubt. lie soon reached it. and pass
ing the ditch, climbed cautiously to the
| top of the parapet, and glanced around him.
Fortunately, no one was near. He at once
! let himself softly down to the inside of the
work, and began to examine it. He found
| that it was defended by four guns, two of
| which were field pieces He always made
| it a rule to 60 prepared for any emergency,
| and upon this occasion ne had provided him.
self with half dozen rat-tail files Find
ing every thing quiet, and the men mostly
within their tents and around the camp fires
he stole softly to gun after gun and wrapping
his hat around the stock of the gun to o1uf-
| fe the sound, drove the files successfully
into the vent holes of the guns. Once lie
came very near being detected, for while he
enGaeed inefi' :Is orn-s of tilo f,,,l3s -
oCia.flIci 1IppruaCne WfuTiift a 1oW yaftiS OF
him, before he was aware of his presence.
Instantly crouching to the earth he conceal
ed himself in the shadow of the gun carriage.
After the sentinel passed by, he left his place
of concealment, and when he had finished
! spiking the guns, he started towards the en-
campment- As he reached it, he stopped in
| front of large tent evidently that Of some
| General officer. A light was burning in it,
and there was guard at the entrance
Creeping around to the back of 1t, and crouch
! ing in the shade, he cut ahole in the canvass,
with his knife, and gazed into the tent.
There were two persons in it. One, young
man, in Captains uniform, was seated at a
table writing, while another, in the dress of
Brigadier General, was sitting on a camp
stool near him, debating. They were pre-
pairing report upon matter Of some i'm
portance, and which contained information
that would be of great value to the Confede
rate commanders. Old Ben was not slow to
perceive this, and he listened attentiyely. Ir
about an hour the report was finished, anc
the General proposed to the young man, tha
they should 20 10 the tent of a Colonel
close by, and get a drink. They went ou
from the tent, leaving the report on the Ia
, ble AS soon as they had gotten out of hear
+ ing, Phelps raised the wall of canvass AM
| entered the tent Taking possession of tn
: report, and placing it in his pocket, he begaI
= to look around for something else. He foun
. the Generals order book, and several officis
= papers, sword and pair of handsome pis
tolls. "Confscating" these, no left the ten
v by the way in which he had entered i
y Moving through the camp, he soon becam
e acquainted with its position, and from il
size was enabled to form some idea OF til
Il forces occupying that portion of the line. Z
s was moving about all night as noiseIessl
o and as stealthily as cat, and by the morr
s. ing, was some distance in the rear of HI
= hiding place Of the previous day. He
: once took to tree again, and remained the
IS during the day. Everything that he sa
% confirmed the fact, that the enemy were pr
"a pairing to advance their lines near to Lee
n. mill. AT night he decended from his perc
,e and renewed his explorations, this time gra
I'd ually nearing the Southern lines One
10 his greatest difficulties was now to cou
w 1t was very easy for him to enter the Fe
,ir eral lines, but it might be very difficult
On leave them. At daylight he found hims