The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-17

We gallopped across tAe Island; out when
we came to the little creek, we found an I'M
expected obstacle in our way. The tide had
risen well nigh to the flood, and extraor-
dinarily 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 causeway
was submerged. The two men sent to alarm
the pickets had reached the place only a
minute earlier than we, and we found them
hunting for some landmark or other by
which to discover where the causeway was.
The sergeant thought he knew it's locality
and direction, and boldly plunged 10, the rest
OF US following. just what we did, or where
we went, or how it all happened none of US
ever knew; but we rode off the submerged
track about midway the stream and found
ourselves floundering in the water, some of us
on our horses and some of us under them. 1t
was the darkest night ever knew, and once
in the water, we could see no shore any,
where. Naturally enough each took the di-
rection in which he thought the bank lay land
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 a quagmire, and sinking into it,
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 a minute the poor
fellow lay lfeess in the water half hurled in
the mud of the bottom.
My own situation was perilous one. My
feet sank at once in the Shiny mire, and to
save myself threw my body forwards. Sue
ceeGing in freeing myself swan until the
water was too shallow for swimming; after
which, by crawling on nay belly, l managed
to avoid sinking and smotherng 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.
l was covered with slime, stiff with cold, and
utterly exhausted by my exertions. OF my
self, however, thought little; I was only
anxious about the sleeping battery at Bluff
ton. II the alarm were not given, - and un-
less some one or other of our party had sue
ceeded in getting across with his horse, it
could not be,-Bluffton would be taken COM
pletely by surprise; the battery would be
captured, and rapid march would take the
enemy to the railroad, either at Grahamvlle
or Vaudeville, before any force could be sent
to oppose him. Even if the two men from
the picket post had got out on the other side
l knew that they would not go to BlufftOn, but
to Buckingham Ferry and Hunting Island, as
Ihad ordered; and it was not at all certain the
feet would pass either of those points, as it
could sail up other creeks quite as easily, par
ticularly on such tide as that. With
these thoughts in my mind l began at once
to bestir myself l was not long in discover
ing that was still on the Island, but not on
the main land. Following the edge of the
water presently came to the two men 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 a pole. Both
had lost their horses, though, as learned a
day or two afterwards, neither of the animals
were drowned. The sergeant and my guide
had escaped with their steeds, and / found
both on the island, a little farther up the
shore.
The guide was utterly demoralized with
fright or cold, or both; and SO / took his
horse and ordered him to wait on the island
till morning, and then make his way to what
ever point he should find it easiest to reach.
The sergeant and l determined to make an
other effort to get to camp and give the alarm.
"Run back to the other side of the island"
said he to one of his men, Sand see if the
fleet is still in sight, and what it is doing.
We must let our horses blow little, and you
can get back by the time we are ready to start"
The man went, and his comrade, having
nothing better to do, went with him. Pres
entity one of them returned bringing the news
that the feet was making its way up mar
row creek, from which neither the Bucking-
ham Ferry nor the Hunting Island pickets
could see it !; and as those were the only posts
from which, after seeing it, a man could get
to Bluffton in time to give the alarm, both
the sergeant and [ were more than ever de-
termined to make our way to camp at all
hazards. Luckily, the road from Bears
Island to Bluffton was the easiest one in all
that country to find, and the one I happened
to know best; so that, even if the sergeant
should not get across the marsh, was conf
dent of my ability to 60 to camp alone.
SNOW" said the sergeant, if l get across,
won't wait for you, but will 60 right on. If
you succeed, don't wait for me. It's no time
for ceremony; and it's better one of us should
drown than that sthe other should be de-
layed."
''Spoken like man and a soldier, ser
geant," said L. 'sNow for it, and with that
we again essayed to follow the submerged
track. About midway the sergeant's horse
went down as before; and, just as was
about to say something encouraging to him,
my own horse, or the guides, rather, which
was riding, fell headtoremost into the salt
water, throwing me completely over his head,
For moment was senseless from blow
received either from the hoof OF the sergeant's
horse, or Gby falling against one of the tim
bers of the causeway. When | came to N.Y.
self was clingng to the tail of the sergeant's
horse, while the sergeant, as l presently
uioCOtOlCu, was AOluluS Wy OuO Vi GAO ctil-
rups. How long we were in the water do
not know, but it must have been nearly an
hour. The poor horse swan round in a pur
poseless way, not knowing where to 60, until f.
nally he sank exhausted beneath the tide.
Cool as the night was, the salt water was
tepid, as it always is on the coast, else l
should not now be alive to tell OF my adven-
lures on that Christmas Eve.
We got out at last, and found ourselves on
the island again. Despairing now,-for with
out horses II was simply impossible to get to
Bluffton until long after the time when our
coming would be of any use, we trudged
doggedly across the island, that we might
wait and listen at the waters edge for the
booming Of the cannon. Two more utterly
wretched young men no Christmas morning
never dawned upon.
See thereW said the sergeant hating sud-
denly. "There's the feet, and, bless my
soul it's putting to scalp
1t was true enough. No attack was to be
made after all; and we had spent the night
drowning horses, and nearly drowning our
selves, for nothing. Why the feet had
steamed several miles up the creek before
putting to sea, have never been able to
guess; but I distinctly remember that its
prank subjected me to twelve-mies walk
that Christmas morning, and compelled NE
to substitute qunine and dogwood-root bark
bitters, for egg-nog and Christmas dinner.