Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-08-08
sWsn. he's turned up agin."
Where is heln


"Where is hei"
"1n camp. It's Gods fact. Saw I'm
this mornin'," said old Tom, smoking his
short pipe.
"Wherer'
"In camp. Came. past our qaarter1
whar our mess war"
did you speak with himp' the Colonel
asked.
"Yes; axed him whar he'd been, an,
he said he'd been layin' n th' brush ter
shoot cuss as he hates He's been clar
out ter Corinth, but hain't got his man Wit.
Golly, ye orter see his gun; it's a great,
big, long barreled ole-fashioned rifle, VERY
thing ter kill buck"
he ought to know something about
what the rebels are doing. l wish you
would find him, Tom, and send him to me- /"
"fll do 1t, Kernel. I'll 60 right now n
hunt i'm up" and old Tom rose to his feet
and started from the tent to find the mys-
ferrous negro; but Blackhawk, as usual,
could not be found when sought, and Tom
had fruitless search.
That evening General Prentiss ordered
Colonel Mason to take two hundred men
next morning and go out several miles in
their advance to reconnoiter, as it was re-
ported that the enemy had been seen in
considerable force along the Corinth road.
Almost ever since his ARRIVAL at Pitts
burg Landing Colonel Mason had heard OF
skirmishing in their front, and his owr
pickets had been fired on several times.
ut is probably some guerrillas," said the
Colonel to himself. ''They are prowling
through the country, and the woods are
full OF them. A few companies of cavalry
can easily put them to f1ight.n
OF course the four men who had been his
self-constituted body guard formed q part of
the two hundred picked men, and with
three days rations and forty rounds, they
set out at daylight next morning. As they
were passing one Of the outlying picket
posts sergeant hailed them and said:
Eyed better look little out"
"Have you seen any thing Of the enemy
this morningr' the Colonel asked.
"No; but they've been a shootin' at US
boys all night and wounded Jack Gates"
"How many times were you fired ont"
s'Three. The last time they gave US q
dozen shots all at once"
''They are only few bushwhackers: we
will drive them from the woods" said the
Colonel.
With three or four exceptions Luke's en-
tire two hundred were veterans who had
been trained in the hottest fights at Bel
mont and Donelson.
Tho country was undulating and covered
with a dense growth of trees and under
brush, except where clearings had been
made and fields cultivated.
The Colonel and his staff were the only
mounted men in the expedition. The re-
cent rains had made the roads muddy, and
marching was difficult and wearisome.
They had gone about five or six miles
when the advance guard informed the
Colonel that they were in sight of farm
house, near which number of horses were
hitched
They are bushwhackers. Now to capt
ure them" said the Colonel.
He divided his command into two d.
visions, and approaching the house from
the south and east prepared to flank it so as
to prevent any one from escaping.
Luke glanced at the sky to see what the
hour was, but it was too cloudy for him to
determine by the sun, and, consulting his
watch, he discovered it was after twelve
"They are at dinner" he thought, swell
bag our game and learn something from
them"
house, which was concealed by the thick
woods and underbrush, when single shot
rang on the air.
A moments silence ensued and then q
dozen more reports followed in quick sue
cesslon. The yells of combatants, snoring
of terror-stricken horses and sharp crack of
musketry filled the air.
fro BE CONTINUED.