Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-03-19
A ".

CHAPTER ~.
Private John Wood, No. TAI, was not the
only man in the Scarlet Lancers whose
''gritp the flies took an opportunity of
valuing. They settled down upon Lacy as
if he were a sweet and toothsome morsel
such as did not often come in their way,
which probably was exactly the true state
Of the case.
But Booths they left strangely alone
perhaps he took after Pharaoh of old. Any
way, certain it is that he suffered less from
the climate and its attendant plaques than
any other officer in the regiment, and it was
partly owing to this-at least it was entirely
due to his habitually cool and self-possessed
demeanor, which he could not have main
tanned had the flies pestere1 him as they did
some Of the others, Lacy, for instance-that
one evening, a few days after they had left
Alexandria and Ramleh behind them, when
he was lying half asleep in his hammock, a
thump-thump sounded upon the wooden box
which stood just outside the entrance to his
tent.
"Yes-what is itF he called out sleepily;
then, as an orderly appeared in the door
way, asked, ''Well, orderly; what is It'll"
1.-THE c~oloners compliments, sir, and he
wishes to see yol as soon as possible.n
Every well. Tell the colonel, with my
compliments, that I'll be with him immedi
ately," he answered, and the orderly, salut-
ing, disappeared.
With all haste he rolled out Of the ham
mock, and Strengthened himself as regarded
his hair and the fastenings of his undress
s.ol,ak I,,a1101 o, HE cxrOnd orH rrnov,f of
to the colonel's quarters, in ignorance that
young Tom Snow, who had been ~loafing
outside the tent until his master should
shout for him when it was time to dress for
mess, and so had heard thu message which
the orderly had brought, was following him,
and that, when Boobies went in, he flung
himself down upon the sandy ground, in
blisaful disregard Of any plague that might
DO lurking there, be it Egyptian or other.
wise.
Abe sentry on duty outside the ~colonel's
tent, Of course, noticed him, and uttered q
facetious remark after the manner in which
most Of the Scarlet Lancers were accus-
1 tomed.to address the sharp-tongued, anus.
ing little circus wait lFJF
"'Ello, young Houp-La. What may yor
be ADDING Off
II amt ADDING Of nothing" retorted
young Houp-La, civilly, Except awaiting
Of my master, Captn Ferrers, who you set
a-going into the coloneps quarters jeS
now"
The sentry laughed and wheeled round OF
his allotted twenty yards Of s~entry-go. never
dreaming of ordering young Tom of, for he
was generally considered In the reglhlenta a.
a thing Of naught, beyond the fact OF his be
ing a'tavorite protege Of Capt. Ferrers.
So there be remained, and there, with his
sharp young ears pressed close toa little dis
crepancy in the canvas, which prote cted the
officer commanding the Scarlet Lancer
from the night dews and damps, Tom Snow,
the circus wait, became cognizant Of nnc
~acduainecd with the details and particular.
Of one Of the most important and dangerou:
missions which was intrusted to or accepted
by any one Of the officers and men who car.
ried her majesty's uniform into the land 0.
the Pharaohs in the campaign of'S2,
He heard every word that passed between
his mastet and the three g~ray-haired oftfceri
whom he found there.
1t was not only a very difficult, buta very
dangerous errand which Capt Ferrers hai
been chosen to perform. The order wa
given in the simplest and most soldierl,
words, and so young Tom was able to gathe
its exact meaning es clearly as Bottles him
self could do. In substance it was to convey
a certain paper, written in cypher, to thl
officer commanding a body Of troops lying
about five miles from the Scarlet Lancers
amp which was but a short distance from
the town of Abu-Goum, held by a stron|
force Of the rebels, under the command o
Arab himself.
To reach the other British camp the envoy
must pass almost through thu rebel lines
else he would find himself close under tn,
walls Of Abu-Goum on the one hard, or in
volved in the swamps which skirted the mar
gin Of Lake Goum on the other.
The general impressed upon Boobies tn
need for caution and dispatch as he intrustet
the paper to his hands, not without frs
making him exactly acquainted with it
contents in case Of accident by the way, s.
that if the paper were damaged or renderet
illegible be might not reach the other cam
in ignorance of his mission.
And young Tom heard it alI-every word
Not only heard, but sawI Saw the genera
give the paper-saw his master place 1t in
small pocket book Of brown leather aud boz
himself out, after a silent grip Of the hand
outstretched to him-saw then that heleft tn
tent and went hastily in the direction Of hi
own-and, seeing that, the circus waif ros
up from his post Of observation and follows
him swiftly.
When he reached Capt. Ferrers' tent h
found his master bending over a brass
bound box which stood III one r Of it.
a box which Tom knew contained his II
volvers.
rs that You, Tomg' he asked.
'sYessir,'' answered Tom, with a salute
md advancing into the middle Of the tent.
Take my flask round to the mess tent an
get it filed with b~randy-and be quick.p
'.Yessir,n said Tom.
He never hesitated an instant what b
should do. The moment he entered the ter
Is had seen that on the chest which forme
- masters table Capt Ferrers had lai
nNNmg nn