The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-02-12

needed after the fatigue endured in mountain
! travel, Shows cavalry were still in the neigh
borhood and they waited also for dark night
and trusty guide to take them to the river.
The latter was found in the brother of the
loyal woman whose guests they were. This
man took them without difficulty, by a circuit
Gus route, in the night time, to tributary of
| the Tennessee, by following which they could
not fail to reach the main stream.
The reason Wilson gives for his strong desire
to travel by water is quite cogent. In the
! uneven mountainous country it was next
to impossible to keep direct course in night
travel, even if they knew the general drec-
ton, while the stream would always keep them
| in the right way. Had they asked for guild
ance by their Union friends in the direction of
| Kentucky, however, they would have received
| it.
They soon saw boat on the other side of the
| river, but, as the creek was Swollen and encum-
! bcred with drft-wood, they could not swim
across. Wilson, who always took the lead, lett
| his companion to conceal himself, and, going
| boldly TO the bank, hallooed until a man an
| swered, who, at his request, ferried him across.
| As the ferryman could not change So note,
| Wilson promised to return that way in the
| evening-it was then morning-and make it
right. He hid during the day, and came back
| after dark, and, in the absence of the owner
borrowed" the boat, took Wood aboard, and
was soon far away towards the Tennessee.
| The theft of the boat stands on the same
grounds as to justification with the numerous
falsehoods told by all the adventurers-a mill
| tary necessity.
At the mouth of the creek they found q
| patrol boat anchored nearly across the stream
| but, as it was pitch and raining. they
were not discovered, and, gliding close under
her stern, were soon atioat on the swift cu1 rent
of the Tennessee. They rejoiced in this, but
| found that their perils were not yet over. The
| rail- n nAa1
| their eyes, the wind blew almost q gale, and
the current whired them on with dangerous
| speed. They were in constant apprehension,
for they could see bit a little way before them,
and scarcely knew where they were going.
Many times they very narrowly escaped wreck.
Few things in the whole history of the railroad
adventure are more romantic than the picture
OF these two men plotting frail, stolen skiff
down the mountain river during night of
rain and storm.
| Their motion was SO rapid that they feared
dawn might find them in the vicinity of Chat
| tanooga, by which town it was necessary for
! them TO pass. Therefore they began, in good
| time, TO cast about for safe landing and hid
ing place. After many Intellectual attempts,
| they found q small island, hugged close TO the
shore, and reached the lower end, where they
We're out of the current, pulled themselves
| under the overhanglng branches, and drew the
| boat shore.
comfort. The rain had changed to sleet and
hail, and all effort to get warm or dry was in
! vain. Daylight revealed a small cabin on the
shore near by, from which the smoke curled up
lnyltingiy. Their suffering was unendurahle
and they decided to seek shelter gft
They lanched and crossed. Poor Wood, who
afterwards died of consumption, brought on by
! exposure, and who was now almost frozen, said:
Aft, you will have to make up some lie to tell
them. IEey will ask Us thousand questions"
Wilson answered, /" ] don't know what | can
tell them. am too cold TO speak the truth,
though"
The usual Kentucky story was modified to
suit their surroundings. They asked for boats
and proiessed to be sent out TO destroy all on
the river except where they were in the hands
OF trustworthy men, with the object of pre-
venting Union men running away from the
consumption. This was plausible, and they
were warmed, dried, and fed
They now ran down a short distance in the
daytime, tied up, and hid in field A man
and boy saw their boat, and were about to take
1t, when the adventures, unwilling to be done
by as they had done, and confident in their
story, came out and stopped the proceeding.
They asserted that it was a Government boat,
and that they belonged TO a regiment in Chat
tanoOga, which place they learned was only five
miles away. The man invited them to his
house to wait the lulling of the storm. They
accepted, and after nightfall pushed off again,
passing Chattanooga, which they so long dread
ed, IN safety. They were now almost jubIant
but soon found that everything was not smooth
sailing presume the storm, which had been
so disagreeable, had also been a shelter and that
without it they might not have got by the rebel
headquarters so easily.
There is a deep gorge few miles below the
city, where the mountains rise abruptly from
the water IN froWnIng grandeur. The river is
greatly narrowed, and, suddenly bending to the
lett, dashes its furious current against wall of
rock and forms foaming eddy. Our two navi-
gators perceived even in the darkness that
there was danger ahead. The great roar and
noise caused by the dashing of the angry waters
against the rocks warned US. We hugged
the lett hand with our little boat as closely
as possible. AS we passed the angry whirlpool,
into which we seemed to be drifting, our boat
was struck tremendous blow by a floating
log. We thought we were all dashed to pieces
The blow hoisted us away. however, several
yards to the left, and we went flying down the
gorge like the wind. We were afterwards told
that number OF adventurous persons, had, at
different times, lost their lives in trying to run
down this place by getting swampcd in this
great torrent or whirpo and it was no doubt |
owing to the blow we received from the float |
ing log, by which our boat was knocked Just |
beyond the reach of danger, that we escaped as |
fortunately as we did 1t was q providential |
blow for us, though it had wellnigh crushed our |
boat. We pulled at our paddles with might and |
main to keep the water from swamping our |
boat, which sank pretty low in the current and |
was now going at railroad speed. We soon |
reached smoother water, and again felt ourselves
safe"
A man the bank warned them not to try |
to run through the Suck worse place than |
that which they had just passed. With much |
urging, and the promise OF 50 reward, they got !
him to agree to pilot them through. He was |
skIllful boatman, and took them in safety, /
though their boat was nearly filled with water. |
Because of these dangers they had been run |
ming in daylight. They were soon hailed by |
squad Of rebel cavalry, but, being well over on |
the opposite side, rowed on without seeming to |
notice them. They were now coming to the |
most dangerous part of their journey,-that |
near the Federal lines, where the vigilance of |
the enemy was most constantly exercised. They |
therefore resolved to travel only at night, hid
ing themselves and their precious boat by day. |
That night they passed Bridgeport, where they |
expected to meet Mitchell, but found he had not |
yet arrived.
When they sought solitary cabin to get |
food the next day they heard great news
that the Yankees were n the town of Steven
son. This was confirmed by numerous fugi-
tives who were seeking safety from the dreaded |
enemy. They got back to their canoe, rowed
down the river until they judged themselves
opposite Stevenson, and then started across the
country to find their friends. The good news
elated them so much that they made the fatal |
mistake of not waiting for nightfall. Conse-
nntfl ncaltr in fl,aN