Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-16
CHAPTER V. 


 tide of war. |
 CHAPTER V.
 FRIENDS OR ENEMIES 1t was not until he had resumed his march | at the head of his company that Captain | Mason began to blame himself for not hay l ing asked the name of the fair rebel who had so strangely impressed him. The peo- pie at the house were probably new corners, for he had a few years before known almost l every one in thls part of the country But absence at college, and then in another State, had permitted time to work a won- drous change in the old familiar land marks. He was marching along with head bowed, lost in painful reveric, oblivious to the heavy tread of two hundred feet behind him, when a voice suddenly said: "Massa, why didn't ye burn dat houseP' He looked up, and to his intense amazo- ment he saw the negro, Blackhawk, bare headed and bare-footed, tramping along at his side. Blackhawk had an odd way of dis appearing and appearing when least ex- pected. He seemed to have the faculty of being anywhere in a moment. 'Blackhawk, what are you doing here?" he asked; "have you run away from your miaster?" 'No, sah; jest thought I'd foller ye; msbbe ye might need me-"
 "Do you know the people at that house, Blackhawka" asked the young Captain, fix ing his keen blue eyes on the negro. Black hawk recoiled strangely, as If he had suddenly been touched with hot iron. The Captain, puzzled at his strange demeanor, repeated tho question.
 "Yes, massa; knows 'em," he said "dey is all secesh."
 'What is their namer'
 Morgan, massa; dat gals ladder m brudder am boff in de rebel army, an 'twould sarved um right to bu'nt dere house, but I'm glad ye didn't do it."
 "Whyl" "Jes cause I'm glad yol didn't. Somc- body orter do t an' some Jun will, mebbe." Look here, you black rascal, if l hear of you burning any houses I'll have you shot.' 'De good Lord bless you, massa, I won't, 'deed won't"
 The Captain walked on with his head bowed trying to make out the character of the negro. He had been the slave of Mir. Neff for twenty years, and he had known him ever since boyhood, but there had al- ways seemed to be some deep mystery con- nected with him. There was something in his nature unfathomable. When next he looked for Blackhawk he had vanished.
 As the little army advanced their num- bers continued to hourly increase, until they had over thousand men, with indifferent arms and still more indifferent discipline. Cairo was forty miles away when they re- ceived information that Jeff Thompson, with force of rebels far superior to their own, was between them and their haven of safety. Colonel Richard Oglesby, with splendid Illinois regiment, was somewhere in their neighborhood, but, despite every eff fort made on the part of Colonel Smart, he found it impossible to communicate with hlm.
 Among the recruits received on the march were about two hundred mounted men, whom they used as scouts and foragers. Captain Henry Smart had been chosen Colonel, but as yet no commissions had been granted any of the officers, owing to some disagreement between the Governor and General Fremont. Colonel Smart had all the officers of the regiment summoned to his headquarters one morning, and, with Q face that was very earnest, said: "Boys, we're goiu' to smell gunpowder before the day is done. The rebels are about three miles from here on farm, and waitin' | to cut us off"
 "How many are they in numbera" one of the officers asked.
 Don't know; but they're reported about three thousand strong"
 A silence ensued. Then one of the officers realizing that they were in a poor condition 1 to fight such odds suggested that it might be well to make a circuit around them. But | Colonel Smart shook his head and an- swered:
 | "No, f we undertook that we'd have to turn back, and we'd like as not meet Price and Mccullough. We've got to get to Cairo, where General Grant and General Prentiss are, and then we'll be able to whip all the rebels in the country"
 "You mean that we must cut our way through tha rebels sent to head us off" | said Luke.
 "That's 1t, Captain"
 "The sooner we get at it the better, for they are reinforcing all the time."
 The others were of the same opinion, and each officer was instructed to see that his men were in the best condition possible for battle. A few minutes were given to the l inspection of guns, and to see that all were supplied with ammunition, and the force moved on, the cavalry considerably in the advance.
 It was a bright autumn morning. The night had been slightly chilly, but as the sun rose the dew evaporated, and it grew sultry.
 Captain Mason, who.was well in advance, found himself descending wooded slope, while out on his left was a long, level stretch of land, with vast corn and wheat fields, cut up and broken by lanes and roads, with here and there beautiful farm-houses. They could only occasionally catch glimpse of the valley below, for as they wound down the ridge road, they were most of the time shut in by green walls of tall trees and thick bushes. On either side of them the ridge sunk away into deep rocky ravines, the sides of which were covered with such . dense undergrowth that the bottom could not be seen.
 The road at last made an abrupt turn where the ridge terminated and descended into the valley below. Just as Luke at the head of his company reached the crest of the hill, distant shots beyond the first farm house in the valley reached his ears. Horsemen could be seen galloping up and down the lanes, and for some time it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.
 Captain Mason drew his company up along the line of the bluff above the valley SO as to guard the pass, and waited for the Colonel, who came galloping forward in
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