San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-03-28


and so trying 20 young girls nerves, If
she had not been impelled by some abso-
lutely irresistible circumstances, that !,
cannot help feeling that she must have |
hidden the deeper AMI real cause of her
act At all events some powerful stim-
illus bore her through trial the like of !
which rarely comes to woman, and the !
very thought Of which should be enough |
to chill the heart of even the strongest !
| and most courageous maiden. 1
Grampus, the old negro servant, with !
| that cunning and cleverness characters !
tic of his race, took his young mistress,
not by the highways, but by the byways
and paths so well known to him that he
could follow them quite as we'll by night
as by day, and carrying for her light
case of clothing soon had reached the
edge of swamp just beyond which
were the lines of defense. Rose was
quite calm and cool, for she long since
had conquered her fears as well as her
scruples, and was now ready to meet
every exigency with that peculiar cour-
age which belongs to woman. She fol-
lowed Grampus, stepping firmly in his
tracks and needing little the gloom Of
the swamps or the ominous sounds that,
like heavy, half suppressed breathings
of battle, rustled along the lines of the
motionless armies. There was no firing,
no martial music, no distant voices; but
to the right and left and directly before
them a strange stir, vague, significant
yet scarcely definable tumult of minor
| noises shook the stiffness of the night. I
Lights that could not be seen cast their
| Pickering reflections on the sky, render
ing the solemn blackness Of the densely
wooded swamp still more heavy and aw-
full. The trees were hung with immense
| festoons of Spanish moss, mingled with
wild grape vines, amid which small ami
mails, probably raccoons, were scram-
bling and playing
Much of the way Rose was wading in
water four or five inches deep, and she
had to lay hold of the negros coat in Or
| der to follow him. 1t had been agreed
beforehand that Rose was not to speak
unless Grampus first spoke to her; so in
perfect silence, save the light splash Of
their feet in the water, they trudged
very slowly and cautiously along until
they had reached the heart Of the
swamp Here Grampus paused and,
turning about, whispered:
"Dey's somebody right yander. Yves
got ter slip back and go way roun' an
udder way"
Rose could see no one, but she knew
we'll the quick eyes and quick ears of the
negro had not deceived him, so she fol-
| lowed him without word as for some
| distance he retraced the route by which
they had come. Presently he changed
his direction to the left, and for q while
they fioundered through a dense watery
thicket of low bushes, finally reaching
another path Invisible save to the eyes
of Grampus) which led toward the lines.
Soon again they were baked, for they
came near going plump against group
of soldiers occupying little rise of dry
| ground, where an officer appeared to be
at work writing, reading a dispatch or
examining a map, at all events he was
leaning over paper Of some kind, while
| a soldier held a minute pine torch close
beside his face.
"Got ter try 'em az in" whispered the
old negro; bend down low an walk
mighty light, er dey git us sho'."
The night was not cold; in the swamp
it was almost sultry, and swarms Of
mosquitoes hummed in the air and at
tackled every spot Of face, neck or hands
where the skin was uncovered. Grampus
| did not care for these but to Rose it
would have been torture unbearable in
any lighter stress of circumstances.
Progress was extremely slow II
| seemed that at almost every step Gram
pus hesitated, faltered and listened,
| turning now this way, now that, and
| peering through the hideous gloom at
the little twinkling lights which now
and again cleaned for a second between
the great tree boles and the low swing
ing masses of funereal moss. Roses skirts
were torn and her feet wet; her hands
and face were bleeding from the scratches
of thorns and the sting of insects; but
she was unaware of it. Her whole nat
ure was concentrated in what she was
doing
Grampus knew that the time was
speeding rapidly, and that if he did not
hurry daylight would find them before
they had passed the British lines. Still
it was quite impossible to do more than
he was doing
When presently they reached a small
but deep channel in which flowed 81
lent, sluggish stream the negro turned,
and saying, Mus tote yo' cross. Miss
Rose. lifted her as if she had been
child and bore her to the other side.