West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-09-29

IN getting across with his horse, il could
not be-Blutiton would be taken com
pletely by surprise; the battery would
he captured, and rapid march would
take the enemy To the railroad, either nj
Grahamville or Hardeeville, 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 Blufton. but Ia
Buckingham Ferry and Hunting Island.
as | had ordered and il was not at all
certain the fleet would pass either of
those points, rs IL could sail up other
creeks quite rs easily, particularly on
such a tide rs that. With these thoughts
in my mind l began at once 10 bestir
myself. | was not long i'm discovering
that | was still on the island, but not ON
the mainland. 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 i'm the
mud, and the other was trying To draw
him out with pole. Both had lost their
horses, though, rs learned a day or two
afterwards, neither of the animals were
drowned. The sergeant and nv 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 so |
took his horse, and ordered him TO wait
on the island till morning, and then make
his way To whatever point he should find
1T easiest to reach. The sergeant and /
determined TO make anothsr effort TO get
TO camp and give the alarm.
Run back to the other side of the
island, said he 10 one of his men, " and
see if the fleet is still i'm sight, and what
it is doing. We must let our horses blow
IA little, and 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 bring
ing the news that the fleet was coming
up narrow creek, from which neither
buckingham Ferry nor the Hunting
Island pickets could see it; and those
were the only posts from which, after
seeing 1T, man could get TO Bluhton i'm
time to give the alarm, but the sergeant
and | were more than ever determined
to make our way to camp at all hazards.
Luckily, the road from Bears Island TO
Bluilton was the easiest one in all that
country TO find, and the one happened
to be most familiar with; so that, even
If the sergeant should not get across'the
marsh, / was confident of my ability To
90 TO camp alone.
Now" said the sergeant, off ] get
across, | won't wait for you, but will go
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 the
other should be delayed"
Spoken like n man and soldier, SER
geant, said |. Now for it." and with
that we again essayed to follow the sub.
merged track. About midway the ser
geants horse went down as before; and
just as ! was about to say something en-
couraging to him, my own horse, or the
guides rather, which / was riding. fell
head foremost into the salt water. throw
ing me over his head.
For moment / was senseless from a
blow received either from the hoof of
the sergeants horse, or falling against
one OF the timbers of the causeway.
When ! came TO myself, / was clinginp
to the tail of the sergeant's horse, while
the sergeant, as j presently discovered,
was holding by one of the stirrups. How
long we were in the water ] do not
know, but it must have been nearly an
hour. The poor horse swan around i'm n
purpOseless way, not knowing where 10
go, until finally he sank exhausted be
meath the tide. Cool as the night was
the sault was tepid, as it always is on the
coast, else / should not be alive Ia
tell of my adventures on that Christmas
eve.
We got out at last, and found ourselves
on the island again. Despairing now,-
for without horses it was simply impossi.
BILE to get To Blufton 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 al
the waters edge for the booming of the
cannon. Two more utterly wretched
young men no Christmas morning ever
dawned Upon.
See therew said the sergeant haltine
suddenly. "There's the fleet, and, bless
my soul it's putting TO seap
twas true enough. No attack was tc
be made, after all and we had spent the
night drowning horses, and nearly
drowning ourselves, for nothing. WHY
the fleet had steamed several miles uI
the creek before putting to sea, have
never been able TO guess; but distinctly
remember that it's prank subjected me tc
a twelve miles walk that Christmas
morning, and compelled me to substi
tute quinine and dogwood-root bark bit
ters for egg-nOg and Christmas dinner