Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-06-09

| - a'y oPPositio'A'
He now followed forrest road in the di-
rectiop of Craigersville. As soon as he
struck this road he felt perfectly safe. fot
it led through deep and dark forests Of
pines. and hemlocks, and to a man like
himself, who was Injured to all kinds Of
danger and awake to all the subtitle arti.
fees of the enemy, capture under the cir
cumstances was almost impossible--ai
least so he thought. For several miles
he rode rapidly and cautiously, passing
over high and rough hills, then again
through deep wales, where the dense and
mist like dews dampened his long locki
as they waved in the evening breeze, like
the spray of the ocean. At times, the
thick branches Of the trees were so netted
and intcrlaced overhead as to exclude
every particle of light from his path,
leaving him in Siberian darkness. At
such times his progress was of necessity
slow, although his horse, had but little
apparent difficulty in following the lone
ly aud unfrcquented road.
| 1t was in one of these dark and solita-
ry passes, when he was cropping along al
most at random, that voice suddenly
broke the solemn stiffness of the night
with the ominous challenge. Who goes
there
Who could it be that thus challenged
him on the dark forest road? He was
aware that the rebels had no force nearer
than Culpcpper Court House, with the
exception of the cavalry outposts at Mad
ison, and lie also knew that the Federal
lines did not extend beyond Sperryvile.
or Little Washington, distant fifteen
miles, so the challenge came altogether
unexpectedly, and he halted very prompt
| ly, not exactly understanding matters.
who goes there 2 cried the voice in
the darkness again.
a friend replied Moore, not hardly
knowing the answer to make to the SEN
tinel, since he was BY no means satisfied
on the essential poiut of whether it was
friend OF foc who intercepted him.
'Dismount, disarln and advance, friend
and give the countcrsigu, said the om-
inous voice.
Il very cordial invitation, indeed,
muttercd the scout; but really, have
some scruples about availing myself Of il
notwithstanding its hcartiness'
| TO what regiment do you belong: h.
inquired, hoping TO ascertain who the
party was before vcnturing any closer.
Advance and give the countersign
thundered the voice angrily. What fol
do yonse question .ee:e for?
'All right, my lads, al right replied
Moore, noting the elegant pronunciation
of the plural pronouns you and we. III
advance, but where the devil am yousc
all? reckon it's heap dark about yel
and there's right smart chance ofbreak.
ing ones neck agin the trees
He had wheeled his horse around and
was about TO dash away, when a hand
was laid upon his bride, and voice com.
manded him to surrender The shart
clank of arms on all sides showed how
vain it would be to offer any resistance
against such superior numbers
| He was prisoner, indeed, and hi.
captors were gucrrllas. He was not il
the least Disconnected at being a prisoner
He had been taken too many times ant
escaped, to feel very serious about it 4; E,
with the greatest apparent candor an,
and good uature. be assured them that h,
was confederate officer engaged in ,hr
secret service. and was now on bis wa,
to Sperryvillc, where he intended to pen
citrate the Yankee lines and spy his ma
kedness-performing in the interim deed
Of martial rcnown that would have refec
ted honor on the Knight of the Cid
He represented to them the extreme val
ue of his time, and dilated at large OF
the immense injury they were doing 'th
just and holy cause, every instant the,
detained him. But the fellows wer,
sharp and required something more sub
stautial and convincing than bis word, t,
satisfy them of the propriety of allowin:
him to ride about the country at pleasure
The guerrillas took the scout away
from the road to the westward, through
the forest and from the manner in which
they followed the narrow and crooked
path they must have been we'll acquainted
with the locality They led Moore to th'
base of mountain standing between
Madison Court HOUSE and Sperrypi.le
known in that part of Virginia as th'
odd Rag belonging to what is callcdt the
Pine Range. Some distance up the steel
side Of this mountain, at the base Of ;
gigantic precipicc. is a cavern Of conside
rable magnitude. partly natural and part
.ily artificial. and into this our scou, wa
conducted. In the cavern he found .
large lot Of guerrillas assembled. wh'
crowded sround him. loudly sSearint
vengeance on his DEVOTED head if the,
discovered him to be Yankee spy, which
they strongly suspected. Moore erIe5
tanned the fierce and motley assemblagt
with the same story as when he was frs
captured. His conduct was apparently So
simple and unaffected. and bis earonterJ
, so consumately skillful; that the majo