The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-20
FIGHTING REDSKINS.


he pulled a cloud Of smoke from bis old
black Pipe. and leaned buck in Bis chair
under the low shed in front of his homo
knew that Capt. Jim had - OF his
numerous adventures on his mind, and
prepared for The worst
Yo see. ne h Cincrl Floyd wus alters
great cronies We used to swap tcrbackcI
an borly each others knives al Ginerl
'ud cuss right afore me- saues Ct nobody
want aroun Alter we got tb ongh the
Okeefcnobee we belt council o'war, an
alter it was nnly greed that ther' want
no iniuns inside D the swamp, tho cues
ton was. 'whar airc theyr Some thought
that they'd gone TO the everglades. others
belt to the ilce that they wer' hidn
out mongst tie ponds and bays al in
the creek swamps like passed. o var
minis
At last. howsombcdeVer, Gnerl Floyd
says to me- says e.
"Jim"-alicrs called me Jim for short
"whar do you think they aire!'
"Well. gnerl." says |, "cf ln not
badly QUIT it, the doG roited villyuns aire
sneakin arouD in the big thick on
S'wanOochee.
"Well, | bedurncd. says e, "cf jim
mint got more sense than the whole drap
shot gang, sou may have my years for
heel tap, and God knows they re tough
enough since these dad blasted gallinip
pers 'vc afoul of EN-. Boys wen so over
thar an drive Big Thick. an see if Jim
amt bout half right
Yc see, gincrl liked the warlike man
ner in which spoke, fur lac saw that ef !
came across an lngin hit'd be Katie, bar
tho door" with that savage ! had fully
made up my min 10 shoot down without
quarter every dinged one of EN- that !
came across.
GncrI Floyd had an old niger named
Sawnic what he called his body servyant
but Their want much seryyant bout it.
The old rasccl had done fo'got everything
but how TO steal, an he wus as diff rs a
post, an so mort'ly internal lazy that no
matter what time day it wus bis shad
der WIS alters In front of I'm. Jist 50
burned lazy that he couldn't keep mp with
it,
Ell they wus one thing old Sawnie loved
bettern con Ticker, it WIS TO set on log
an fish. He didn't keer fur jack an
trout an pike an red bellies They WIS
too brisk fur i'm, but mud cats WIS his
glory. bccasc they tuck their time bout
bitlp'
We'd broke up camp an we'd marched
up tho Swanoochec TO pint boat q rlilc
blow whar tho Big Thick begins an Gin
erl FLOYD halted Us an told Us u be very
keerful. as we wus in the Injin5 koutly. al
they wer' li'ble TO pop up IN the nc5t Oh
expected places. lie ordered rs TO see
that we KEEP our prinin ready, our UNITS
well pecked. an wen the time come fur
action to be ready to carry fer and sword
into the camp Of tho hos-tilos. To wound
up by akin Us. ia bold. big words. TO
'trus' in God an jackson an keep yer
powder dry
We'll, sir, sot on gyarl till boat mid
night that night. an thea | roustcd Big
jawed John Langford az tolc hin TO take
my place while tuck a nap.
i rccliin ! slop' mighty soan. an Ger.
tainly slcp' the sleep o the jest, for
dreampt i kilt scben lniun warriors ct
ono fer, O. they sot on a barrilln log, an
l was Jest alXin to load my ride when !
walked up.
Jim. JIM" como a voice. an opened
my eyes an seed Bigjawed JOAN astanin
over me.
"W'ot you want. Johny'
Shl The injun3 amt qnstcr Of
mile of hc-ra a turkey GoJylo down
the crock JEST Gfore day. alter Ia ben
adO2in while '"
"Y'olecr not aben dozin' OF picket,
John. hits agin orders, sn ye better not
say nothin mo bout that.
well, as said. Lcarn 4 turkey. AZ
thought I'd haze a crack at in, but "
the blno Jchoscpsai, as ! was a-crccpia
long down tie creek happened 10 look
down path that led though oponia II
tho thick. whar tho creek bends, pI' tiar
sat q loiln with Is gun cross Is lap. an
| could SEQ a dozen more heads monsSt
tho bushes started - shoot, but alter
| saw that the gyard didn't see Inc /
thought ia better como back ala, rouse
the men IN wo'd s'roun' en-. tell yc,
jim. hit made my hairc rise an my blood
run cole to think what naircr rcsk we
wus a-rounln
Hit was mos sun up. but thick fog
hung over the swamp. an ye couldn't SEQ
very far ahead. bat wen we toll Gen
FLOYD bout the diskivery he sprung mp
an ordered us 10 git ready to march thout
maxim any noise All tho camp was up
BY this tirac, an We belt a council OF war
Langford scjosied that wo throw up
breastworks an let EN- attack Us iust,
but we younger ones was dead agin that.
Wo was afcard they'd git away fom us
nm We list ruled i'm right out.
"Wol, hadn't We better gin me gyard
10 stay with the baggage an protect it!'
says e. -,
mo. well let it take kcer of itscif, said
Gen Floyd sternly. I'VE want every man
TO do his duty today
Well, wo was soon ready an GinerI
Floyd directed me to take one squad an
cross the creek an so down t'other side,
whilo him an iangford tuck the other
side.
"Boys says e, as we parted, we aire
agwinc into adcsper't eight, an We know
Iaiurs laint got no mercy We don't
know what the odds airc, but VIC do know
that no true Georgian ii fail to do Is
duty. Some Of - may fall. but The res
mustn't limch Go cautiously. now, an
les steal march on tho yailcr 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. was
young an ambitious an Id alters been
sthinkin' out how Id ack cf ] wus TO
come into ralc war. That sperit OF mine