The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1877-08-30

garded in the overlooking of the steam
ers, it seemed to me clear that the ex-
petition was bound for Button.
Chow many men have you, sergeant?"
| asked.
"Two," he replied.
Trusty fellows?"
" As good as ever threw leg over a
saddle.''
"Send them to me-" I said
When they came, asked:
" Are your horses good ones?"
-" Pretty good
Mount then, | said to one, and ride
as fast as you can to buckingham Ferry,
and wait with the pickets there till the
fleet comes within sight. Then send
man to Bluffton to announce the fact;
and you stay till the fleet has passed, OBJ
serving which creek it takes AS soon
as you satisfy yourself on that point,
ride TO Bluffton, and report" Then,
turning to the other, l said: Il
"You go to Hunting Island, and do
the same thing. Tell the sergeants to
follow their standing orders in all other
regards. hurry now, both of you. I'll
expect you at Bluffton at the right time"
As the men rode away, [ went 20 the
place where the sergeant was still stand
ing, and said s...
Sergeant, you and L will stay here
till the fleet leaves, and then will ride
straight 10 camp on iull run, and give
The alarm in time"
"lt's already leaving he replied; "and
see, it's steaming straight up the creek"
saw that it was as he had said. The
two gunEoats abreast led the column,
the three transports following.
cts time for us to be riding, then,"
| said, hastily springing into the saddle;
but we can beat them by two hours, as
the creek is crooked, and they must
sound all the way for want of buoys'
We galloped across the island; but,
when we came to the little creek, we
found an unexpected obstacle in our
way. The tide had risen well nigh to
the flood, and extraordinarily high in
| consequence Of strong wind which had
been blowing on shore all DAY. The
strip of marsh which separated the
island from the mainland was completely
covered with water, and even the cause
way was submerged. The two men sent
10 alarm the pickets had reached The
| place only a minute earlier than We, and
we found them hunting for some land
marx or other, by which to discover
where the causeway was.
The sergeant thought he knew its
locality and direction, and boldly plur@-
ed in, the rest of us following. Just
what we did, or where we went, or how
it all happened, none of lis ever knew;
but we rode off The submerged track
about midway the stream, and found
ourselves foundering in the water, some
of us on Our horses and some of lis under
them. 1t was the darkest night | ever
knew, and, once i'll the water, We could
see no shore anywhere. Naturally
enough each took The direction in which
he thought the bank lay, and it seems
no two of Us agreed in our views on this
point. My horse swan pretty well, and
finally neared the edge of the water; but
the bottom was quagmire, and, sinking
into ii, he could not eXtricate himself.
To relieve him | got off his back, and
into the water, but it proved too late.
With every struggle he sank deeper;
and within minute the poor fellow lay
llfeless IN the water, have buried in the
mud of the bottom.
My own situation was perilous one
My feet sank at once i'll the Shiny mire,
and to save myself threw my body for
ward. Succeeding in freeing myself |
swan unit! the water was too shallow
for swimming; after which by crawling
on my belly, | managed to avoid sinking
and smothering in the mud. 1t was
half an hour, however, before | stood
upon firm ground again, and then | did
not know which side of the marsh | had
reached. | was covered with slime,
stiff with cold, and utterly exhausted by
my exertions. OF myself, however, |
thought little. Twas only anxious about
the sleeping battery at Bluflton. If the
a arm were not given-and unless some
one CT other of our party had succeeded
in getting across with his horse, it could
not be-Bluffton would be taken COM
pletely by surprise; the battery would
be captured, and a rapid march would
take the enemy to the railroad, either at
Grahamville or Hardeeyille, before any
force could be sent to oppose him. Even
ii the two men from the picket-post had
got out on the other side | knew that
they would not go to Bluffton, but to
buckingham Ferry and Hunting Island,
as had ordered; and it was not at ali
certain the feet would pass either Of
those points, as it could sail up other
creeks quite rs easily, particularly on
such tide as that. With these thoughts
III my mind | began at once to bestir
myself. l was not long in discovering
that | was still on the island, but not on
The mainland. Following the edge of
the water, | presently came to the two
nlen who had been with the sergeant on
picket. One Of them was stuck in The
mud, and the other was trying to draw
him out with pole. Both had lost their
horses, though, rs | learned day or two
afterwards, neither of the animal were
drowned. The sergeant and my guide
had escaped with their steeds, and |
found both on the island, little farther
up the shore.
The guide was utterly demoralized
with fright or cold or both: and 30 |
took bis horse, and ordered him to wait
on the island till morning, and then
make his way to whatever point he
should find it easiest to reach. The SER
geant end | determined to make another
-, w o. w N.NiiiP anu give tliS aldtnl.
Kun back TO the other side of the
island, said he TO one of his men, "and
see if the fleet is still in sight, and what
1t is doing. We must let our horses blow
q little, end you can get here by the
time We are ready to start"
The man went, and his comrade. hay
Ing nothing better to do, went with him, |
PRESENTLY one of them returned bringing
the news that the fleet was coming up a
narrow creek, from which neither The |
Buckingham Ferry nor the Hunting
island plckets could see it; and as those /
were the only posts from which. alter /
seeing it, man could get to Button in I
time to give the alarm, both the sergeant
and were more than ever determined |
20 make our way to camp 1T all hazards. /
Luckily, the road from Bears Island to /
Button was the easiest one in all that
10 find; and the one I happened
to be most familiar with; 50 that, even
II the sergeant should not get across the
marsh, | was confident of my ability tn