The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-18
ingly at his master and gave low, faint how
and then fell dead.
Uncle Ben sat down again and wept
c. II. PENDLETON.
FIGHTING THE REDSKINS.

""o ~ OlhpiSlcIy upSOb as 4 WuS when we
captured the camp on Little 'wanoochee,"
said Captain Jim Sterne, as he pulled a cloud
OF smoke from his old black pipe, and leaned
back in his chair, under the low shed in front
of his home.
I knew that Capn Jim had one of his
numerous adventures on his mind and L pre-.
pared for the worst.
Eye see, me N Ginerl Floyd wus alters
great cronies. We used to swap terbacker an
borry each others knives, an Giner'l nd cuss
right atere me, same's eff nobody want aroun'
Alter we got h'ough the Okeefenobee we
belt council o. war, an alter it was fin'ly
greed that Their want no injuns inside o. the
swamp, the question wus, 'whar aire they
Some thought that they'd gone to the ever
glades, others helt to the idee that they wer'
hidin' out 'mongst the ponds and bays an in
the creek swamps like passel O. yarmints.
"At last, howsombedever, Giner'l Floyd
says to we, says 'e:
'Jim'-allers called me Jim fur short
'Whar do you think they aire?'
Well, giner'l' says I, 'ef I'm not badly
QUIT it, the dod rotted vilyuns aire sneakin'
aroun' in the big thick on S'wanoochee.'
well, l bedurned," says e, eff Jim hain't
got more sense than the whole drap shot gang
you may have my years for heel tap, and God
knows they're tough enough since these dad
blasted gallinippers We afoul of 'em. Boys,
We'll go over thar an drive Big Thick, an see
If Jim amt bout half right
Ye see, gner'l liked the warlke manner In
which spoke, fur he saw that eff I came across
an Ingin hit'd be Katie bar the door with that
savage. had fully made up my min to shoot
down without quarter every dinged one of 'em
that came across.
Giner1 Floyd had an old niger
named Sawnie what he called his body serv-
yant, but Their want much servyant bout it.
The old rascal had done fo'got everything but
how to steal, an he wus as diff as post, an so
mortly internal lazy that no matter what
time day it wus his shadder was alters in
front of i'm. Jist so burned lazy that he
couldn't keep up with it.
Ell they wus one thing old Sawnie loved bet
tern con Ticker, 1t was to set on log an fish.
He didn't keer fur jack and trout and pike
and red bellies. They wus too brisk fur i'm,
but mud cats wus his glory, becase they tuck
their time bout bitin.
We'd broke Eup camp an we'd march
ed up the S'wanoochee to a pint
bout mile blow whar the Big Thick begins
an Ginerl Floyd halted us an told us to be
very keerful, as we wusin the Iniins' kentry,
an they wer' lpble to pop up in the most on
expected places. He ordered us to see that we
KEEP our primin' ready, our f1ints well pecked,
an wen the time come fur action to be ready
to carry fer and sword into the camp of the
hos-tiles. He wound up by akin US, in bold,
big words, to trusin God an Jackson an keep
yer powder dry
Well, sir, sot on gyard till bout midnight
that night an then | rousted Bigjawed John
Langford an tole him. Ito take my place while
tuck a nap.
reckin slept mighty SCUM, an certainly
slep' the sleep O the jest, for dreampt kilt
seben Injun warriors at one fer, as they sot on
barrikin log, an 1 was jest afixin to load
my rifle when walked up.
Jim, JimE' come voice, an opened my
eyes an seed Bigjawed John astan'in' over
me.
"W'ot you want, John2"
"'Shl The Injuns amt qua'ter of mile
off. l hearn a turkey gobble down the creek
jest afore day, after I'd ben adozin' WHILE
"Y'orter not aben dozin on picket, John;
hits agin orders, an ye better not say nothin'
mo- bout that
"Well as I said, L hearn turkey
an thought I'd have crack at i'm, but by
the blue Jehosephat! AS 1 wus acreepin'
long down the creek. l happened to look
down path that led though openin in the
thick, whar the creek bends an thar sat In
jun with is gun cross lis lap, an could see
dozen more heads 'mongst the bushes. start
ed to Shoot but alter 1 saw that the gyard
didn't see ne, L thought I'd better come
back en- rouse the men an we'd s'roun' 'em,
1 tell ye, Jim, hit made my hare rise an my
blood run cole to think what nairer resk we
wus arounin."
Hit wus mos sun up, but thick fog
hung over the swamp, am ye
but wen we toll Giner'l Floyd bout the dis
kivery, he sprung up an ordered us to git
ready to march 'thout maxim any noise Ali
the camp was up by this time, an we helt
council of war.
Langford sejested that we throw up breast
works an let 'em attack us fust, but we
younger ones was dead agin' that We was
afeard they'd git away f'om us, an we iist
ruled i'm right out.
well, hadn't ye better GIN me gyzard to
stay with the baggage an protect it, says e.
No, We'll let it take keer of itself; said Gin
er'l Floyd sternly we want every man to do
his duty today?'
Well, we was soon ready an Giner'l Floyd
directed me to take one squad an cross the
creek an go down t'other side while him an
Langford tuck the other side
Boys says e, as we parted, we aire agwine
into desper't fight, an we know Iniuns haint
got no mercy. We don't know what the
odds aire, but we dol1now that no true Geor-
gian ii fail to do is duty. Some of us NAV
fall, but the res mustn't finch. Go cautious
ly, now, au' les steal a march on the yaller
devils. Trust in God an Jackson an keep yer
powder dry!
Well, I've done heap O. tough things in
my day an time, but that was the hardest
mornins work of my life. I was young an
ambitious an I'd alters been athinkin' out
how I'd ack Of l wus to come into rale war
That sperit Of mine wus what made em 'lect
me cap'n of militia, an now that l wus
acumin' face to face with the wild savdges
my heart swelled up SO big that the collar of
my huntin' shirt was too small, an felt hot
n cold all over.
Slowly an keerfully we creep along tell we
come opposite to whar the bend wus, an as
we had orders to run 'em out SOS the fellers
i'll the main body on t'other SIDE could have
lick at 'em an maybe make em s'render,
an, as Ginerl Floyd said save ourselves
waste O human blood"
Wen we got to that pint L
tole tho boys to sorter siperate
an keep a sharp lookout, an wen the firm
got hot to take to the logs an trees like I'd
hearn Ginerl Floyd say he alters done.
crep along up lords the bend tell all Of a
sudden spied the gyard. Thar he sot on the
bank, an could see him plain f'om lis waist
up, but couldn't see lis hams fur the bushes,
SOS to tell whuther he had gun Or q bow n
arrer, but Jest knowed he had gun.
Thinkin' o the gun made mo think OF my
own, an, by the Blue Jehosaphat! | Jest
turned pale wen thought bout havin' loaded
it with small shot for cat sguir'ls the day afore
we started on the march, an in the
excitement I'd fo'got to fire it off
an load it with ball. Well, l was in pre-
dickyment. did'n' know whether to retreat
or not but, at last, decided TO call up the
highest men, pint out the savidges-I could
see half dozen heads-an' let every teller
pick is man, an I'd take the gyard. Then
I'd call on i'm to s'render m ef q didn't, I'd
resk squirrel shot an a jest cause
Beckenin' 70 tother fellers, / got 'em all up
close 10 me whar they could see the gyard, an