The Irish standard., 1889-04-27
CHAPTEE v.

at any moment be swallowed up in the red
tide OF war.
CHAPTEE v.
FRIENDS OR ENEMIES.
It was not until he had resumed his Inarch
at1he head Of his company that Captain
Mason began to blame himself Tor not nay
ing asked the name OF the 1alr EepeA VINO
had 50 strangely impressed nm Inc PEG"
pie at the house were probably new corners,
for lie had few years before known Almost
every one in THIS part CT the country. But
absence at college, and then i'll 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 reve,ie oblivous to
the heavy tread of two hundred feet behind
| him, when voice suddenly said:
''Massa, why didn't ye burn dat house,"
He looked up and to his intense amaze
u1ent he SAW the negro, Blaclhas"k, bare
headed and bare-footed, tra1nping along at
his side. Blaclshaw!s had an odd way OF dis
appearing and appearing when least ex-
pected He seemed to have the faculty or
being anywhere i'll @ moment.
"B]ackhawk, what are you doing here"
he asked; shave you run away from your
nasters"
:.No, sab; / jest thought I'd foller We;
nlebbe We might need ne.'
$40 you know the people at that house,
Biackhawk2" asked the young Captain, fix
ing he's keen blue eyes on the negro. Black.
hawk recoiled strangely, as Ii he mad
suddenly been touched with q hot iron. The
Captain. puzzled at his strange demeanor,
! repeated the question.
eyes, massa; ( knows 'em," he said; 'dey
is all sscesh.''
'sWhat is their name?'
oMorgap, massa; dat gals ladder an
brudder am boff in de rebel army, an
| 'tvould a sarvea um right to q burnt dere
house, brt I'm glad ye didn't do it,"
"Whyz"
"Jes cause Iim glad vou didn't. Some
| body orter Go It an some un will, nebbe.'
! s.Look here, you black rascal, if hear of
you burning any houses I'LL have you shot"
| "De good Lord bless you, massa, 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.
raeff for twenty years, and he had known
him ever since boyhood, but there had al
ways seemed to be some deep mystery con-
necIed 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
hsd 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
| ;,lc nc,Ine 1>r-, q
| splendid Illinois regiment was somewhere
in their neig hborhood, but, despite every ef~
fort made Oh the part Of Colonel Smart, be
found it impossible to communicate with
hun.
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
sorne disagreement between the Governor
and General Fremont. Colonel Smart had
| all the officers Of the regiment summoned TO
hts headquarters ono morning, and, With
face that was very earnest, sald
! 'Boys, we're goin' to smell gunpowder
before the day is done. The rebels are aboue
three miles from here on a farm, and waitin'
| to cut US off,"
/ "Hoy7 many are they in nuulber?" one of
| the officers asked.
| 'sDon't know; but they're reported about
| three thousand strong"
| A silence ensued. Then one Of the officers
realizing that they were iD q poor condition
to fight such odds suggested that it might
! be well to make circuit around them. But
| Colonel Smart shook his head and an
sv7ered:
| "No, II we undertook that we'd have to
tgrn back, and we'd like az not meet Price
and Mccullough. We've got to get to Cairo,
where General Grant and General Prentiss
axe. and then we'll be able to whip all the
| rebels in tile country"
| "You mean that we must cut our way
| through the rebels sent to head us off2''
/! said Luke.
! "That's 1t, Captain"
/ "The sooner we get at it the better, for
they are reinforcing al the time.''
| The others were of the same opip isn, 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
| inspection of guns, and to see that all were
supplied with ammunition, and the force
| moved on, the cavalry considerably in the
| advance.
1t was a bright autumn morning. The
night had been slightly chilly, but as the
sun rose tho dew evaporated, and it grew
saltry.
Captain Mason, who was well III advance,
found himself descending a wooded slope,
while out on his left was 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 underground 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