Thomas County cat., 1889-08-15
CHAPTER XIV.

Il
the front was almost continuous. On the
1st the rebel cavalry became bold and ap
preached the Union lines, showing that an
advance of some kind was contemplated.
On the 4th of April his cavalry dashed
down and captured small picket guard OF
six or seven men who were stationed some
five or six miles out on the Pittsburgh and
Corlnth road. Colonel Buckland with q
regiment pursued the Confederates, and
| General Sherman moved q brigade three
miles out from the line. The Confederates
| retreated, of course, and many were the
| speculatiOns as to their conduct.
Many held that the attacks and skir-
mishes along the front were only intended
to detract them from their march on Cor
| inth. But whatever may have been the
opinions of the subordinate officers, it was
| evident that General Grant believed
that their entire front was threat
| ened, for he ordered his army to entrench,
| and did all in his power to hurry up Buell..
General Grant was not certain where the
| attack would be made, at Shiloh or Crump's
Landing, where Lew Wallace with his di-
! vision lay. On the 4th of Apri, the Gen.
erai was injured by his horse falling upon
him and spraining his ankle, SO that he had
] to go on crutches.
He was assured by his subordinates that
| all was quiet on the front 50 far as the en-
| envy were concerned. On the 5th, learning
| that division Of Buells army, under Mel.
| son, had arrived at Savannah, Grant ordered
| them to more up the east bank Of the river,
so as to be ferrled over at either Crump's
| or Pittsburg Landing, as the occasion might
require.
Since his return from the reconnaissance
recorded in our last chapter, Colonel Mason
had been IN his camp and had seen nothing
OF the enemy. He was a changed man, and
spent most of his spare time alone in his
tent gloomily brooding over the last dam
gerous interview with the negro, Black
hawk. Two sentences uttered by that dark
man Of mystery seemed to ever ring in his
ears:
"Kul me, ,nassd, and de secret Ob yo' birf
dies, " haunted him day anG night
"Who is he, and what does he know of
me!" the puzzled officer asked himself
''His words, I kin tell We mo- bout
yourself dan We knows, NASSAU ring still
in my ears. What is it he knows-oh! |!
what is itr' His last interrogatory was Ut
tered with sigh from the uttermost depths
of his troubled heart. All! what a longing
possessed his soul. A longing to know the
history of that helpless babe found floating
in its cradle down the turbulent Missouri.
Picket firing and skirmishing at the front
became a common thing. When a soldier
was detailed for picket duty he went fully
expecting to be fred upon before he re-
turned.
"Jist let 'em bang erway." said Bill Snow,
as he lay in his tent, listening to the oc-
sional reports of muskets in the distant
woods. "Ef they think I'm gwine ter git
skeered at N ow-el they're badly mis-
taken"
"Wall Bill, it mayn't be n ow-el by er
long shot," said Arkansaw Tom, who was
reclining on pile of straw.
"Yer don't think old Johnston or Price ar
comm to tackle US, d. yes" asked Bill.
''Mought be-"
"Let um come"
'Not afore Buell. gifts here"
"Whut d. we keer! Hain't we ernuff ter
lick ums''
''Wall, we d hev our hands full, ye kin
bet, Bill. Pm ergoin' ter bet that we burn
powder atore we've been here q week
longer"
''Been burnin' powder every day fur
week." said Ned, lazily shutting deck of
well-thumbed cards.
Eyes, N what does t all mount tos"
growled Max. ''Nuthin'. Eff It want fur
them mullet heads who command tn army
we'd been in Corinth long ago"
"Ye'n git ter Corinth soon ernuff, Max"
Ned Cotton answered.
''We'd as well a had this war over six
months ergo as ter be foolin' an dallyin'
erlong. Now, didn't we go right inter Fort
DopsisoE."
''Yes, but old Sid Johnston warnt thar
Were not ergoin ter hev q walk over s we
did with Floyd N Piller. He'll DO some o.
the walkin' himself
The conversation was cut short at this
moment by the appearance of the Colonel.
81 am going to the front, Tom, and want
you seur to accompany me-" he said. ''It's
getting rather dangerous up there now"
'.Yer bet Wen CO." cried Tom, starting
to his feet. The four men at once buckled
on their accoutrements and seized their
guns.
They were all that Luke deemed neces-
sary for the reconnaissance. They were all
on foot, as q hOrseman would be too-con-
spicrous mark for q sharpshooter Colonel
Mason's regiment was out on the extreme
front, and they had not gone more than
mile and q half before they came upon the
picket line.
Meeting some relieved pickets coming in
the Colonel asked:
''How Is it at the front!"
s'Been quiet fur nour," one of the guards
said.
t'Haint seen a Johnny fur nour, but they
war blazin' at us nearly all night"
ibid they seem very strongt"
''Wall, they made 1t mighty hot, part O.
the time'
..Of course you have no idea as to their
numbers"
mo. but I believe they're more n the
Ginerals think"
With his slender guard the Colonel moved
on. Suddenly there came distant shot in
the woods. It was followed by three or
four more In quick succession, and they
saw the smoke issuing from q bunch Of
bushes two or three hundred yards away.
Like experienced Indian scouts, creeping