Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-09-24

N1otr q CVrYI
A short swim brought the Colonel loo
near the rebel pickets for sb-olute comfort /
50 he beat retreat, and here is the descrip-
tiOn of the 1 -lA"
ADvEHTUREs OF THE swtMMEE.
'aTime could not, of eonrse, measure
one never an in novel position; but after
a reasonable amount of swimming l began
70 look with natural interest for the pier
which had quilted. I noticed with some
soicitnde that the woods along the friendly
shore made one continuous shadow, and the
| line of low bushes on the long csuseyay
could scarcely be relieved against them,
| vet I knew where they ought TO be, and
the more d5ubtful ] felt about it, the more
/ / put down my doubts, as if they were un-
reasonable children 0ncan scarcely con-
ceiye of the alteration made in familiar OBJ
| iects by bringing the eye as low as the hor-
izon. especially Dy night to distinguish
foreshortening is impossible, and every low
near object is equivalent to one higher or
more remote. Still had the stars; and
soon nv eve, more practiced was enabled
i to select one precise line of bushes as that
which marked the csusewsy, and for which
| must direct my course.
GAs 1 swan steadily, but with some
sense of fatigue, towards this phantom
line. found It difficult to keep my faith
steady and my progress true; everything
appeared to shift and waEer in the uncer-
tain light. The distant trees seemed not
l.trees. but bushes, but might after all, be
distant trees. Could be SO confident,
that. out of all that low stretch Of shore, l
could select the one precise point where
the friendly causewsy stretched its long
arm to receive me from the water How
easily (some tempter whisper in my ear
might one swer7e little, on either side,
and be compelled to founder over half &
mile of oozy marsh on an ebbing tide, be-
fore reaching our own shore and that hos
+ pitable voIley of bullets with which it
would probably greet mel Had l not
already thus the tempter cOntinued) been
! swimming rather unaccountably far sup
posing me on q straight tract for that in
yiting spot where my sentinels and my
drapery were awaiting my return2
"Suddenly felt sensation as Of fine
ribbons drawn softly across my person, and
. | [ found myself among some rushes. But
, what business had rushes there, or l among
then9 I knew that there was not soli-
tary spot of shoal in the deep channel
, where 1 supposed myself swimming, and
/ It was plain in an instant that I had some
r how missed the course, and must be getting
among the nlarshes. felt confident to be
sure. that 1 could not have widely erred
] but was guiding my course for the proper
side Of the river. But whether I had
: drifed above or below thecsuse-way had
3 not the slightest clew to tell.
: GIt required a deliberate
4 NrIf fe
q cool. had not the reputation of being O
: an excitaDle temperament, but the contrary
vet could at that moment see my way K
q a condition in which one might become in
' sane in an instant. It was as if q hssur'
e opened somewhere, and saw my way In
TO q madhouse; then it closed, and every
n thing went on as before. Once IN my hf'
:, had obtained slight glimpse of thu
q same sensation, and then too, strangely
b enough, whilefswimming-in the mighties
q n-surge into which had ever dared
!, plunge my mortal body. Keats hints a
Il the same sudden emotion, In wild poem
/ written among the Scottish mountains. l
d was not the distinctive sensation whicl
=; drowning men are said to have that spas
" modic passing in review Of ones who'll
e personal history. I had no well-defne'
e anxiety, felt NO fear, was moved to Ut
re PRAYER, did not give thought to home o
friends, only it swept over me, as with
sudden tempest, that, if meant to ge
back to my own camp, must keep m.
wits about me. must not dwell on an!
d other alternative, any more than boy VIII
e. climbs a precipice must look down. I'm
It animation had no business here Tha
Ie way madness lay There was shor
= somewhere before me- and must get tC
= it, by the ordinary means, before the ebl
d land bare the flats, or sweep me below tn
/ lower bends of the stream. That was all
ID aSuddenly O. light CLEANED for an instan
Is before me, as if from house in grove o
,e great trees upon bank; and knew tina
le came from the window Of ruined planta
le tion building, where our most advances
d outposts had their headquarters. Tn
al flash revealed to me every point of tn
D situation. ] saw at once where was, an
p how got there that the tide had turne'
3; while I was swimming, and with q nucl
te briefer interval of slack water than hai
as been led to suppose, that had been swep
el good way down stream and was far be
n wound all possibility of regsining the poin
ct had left Gould 1, however, retain m,
y strength TO swim one or two hundre
Is yards farther, of which had no doubt
le and if the water did notebb too rapidly, {
N which had more fear, then was quit
Il, safe. Every stroke took me more and NOR
le out of the power Of the current, and ther
y, might even be an eddy. could not afor
n to Be carried down much farther, for thel
N the channel made q sweep to the wron
side of the river but there was now n
reason why this should happen. eOul
dismiss all fear, indeed, except that Of beih
fred upon by our own sentinels many
whom were then new recruits, and wit
o- the usual disposition 10 shoot first and il
IS vestigate Afterwards. ID 81. -19f
b. II found myself swimming in shallo
ut and shallower water, and the fats SCENE
rs almost bare when neared the shore, whel
be the great gnarled branches Of the live-oaE