The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-02-23


The moon rose about nine o'clock but
as it was cloudy and threatening rain i
was forced every ten minutes to strike a
light in the dark woods through which
we were travelling entirely by commas.
Two hours after leaving McNeil's cabin
it was decided to halt for the night, tina,
the men and horses might DO fresh for
the rapid march which it was hoped
would take us TO our friends on the NOR.
row. Our little band was divided into
three reliefs. The horses were picketed
aid unsaddled and the prisoner was
made as comfortable as was consisteu,
with his safety.
Toward morning it began to rain. and
when daylight came dense mist made
1t impossible to see a hundred yards
ahead. We ate of the corn bread and
bacon procured from our prisoner the
night before, giving him his share,
though by no means as much as he
wanted. When we were again ready to
move forward Mcneil beckoned me to
him, for had forbidden loud talking,
and asked:
"Do you uns know whar this place is?'
and he made a sweep about his head
with his bound arms.
Every we'll, replied.
"WharF and he stuck out his chin
and glared at me as il he were gloating
over my ignorance.
I'VE propose to get through oil right,
Hugh" said.
But what eff so be you uns should
run into right smart bunch of grays,
eh?"
'ln that event, Hugh, the first shot
fred will be in your brain"
do you uns mean that fo' dead ear
nesty"
1--WE do"
well may | be id" He shook his
shaggy head and look of actual horror
took the place of the fierce glitter in his
blush gray eyes. "Ef SO be I'm gwine
to be shot ez soon ez you run into the
enemy, and you uns look ez Of you uns
meant hit. reckon hit'd be more like
fab play to give me chance to get this
crowd on the right track"
$50 on; will listen to you" said.
Now, is you uns gwine down Steven
TON way?'
I'VE will go in that direction"
Which way from har?'
l showed him my pocket compass. 1t
was evidently the first he had ever seen,
but like all ignorant men he had a
contempt for scientific appliances and
methods.
"If you uns trust to that cussed little
wobblin thing" he said. "hit'n git yo'
home bouts well ez bline man on
crutches. I've heern of them things.
but I've never lowed thar was anything
In 'em, and now that sees one I'm dead
shuah they amt worth d--n. Now you
uns is TO maxim southwest. WAL, that
means Confeds. OFF har," and he mo-
toned to the northwest, lis the way I'd
go eff so be was Yank and found my
self lost in tho woods. Now I'm a-tellin
you uns all this, not coz | want to help.
but coz don't want to be kilt"
This was good reasoning, and should
have followed the advice had 1 not
known that it would take me away from
the place where expected to find the
rest of the men under Brown and Ar
thur. AS a compromise took d course
between the two and pushed ahead.
About mile from our camping place
we came upon trail that led due west.
and this it was decided to follow so long
as it did not deviate from the course set
down.
About the middle of the forenoon,
when we were pressing through par
ticularly dense stretch of woods and I'M
dergrowth, the prisoner sat very erect
and looked eagerly about him. l could
see he was very much excited, and |
reasoned that this must be due to some
thing he heard or saw. at once called
halt, and initiating me the men bent
forward in their saddles to listen.
Here again | heard the call of the
whippoorwill that had SO puzzled me
when we were near Chattanooga two
nights before. Soon the whippoorwill
call was changed to that of cry Of
alarm, between shrill shout and a
hoarse whistle, such as had never
heard before. knew the source of this
noise, but made no comment, while
listened and watched McNeil's face /
could see that he was unconsciously tug
cling at the rope that held his wrists,
and it was the same involuntary i'm
pulse that led him to respond, as Lin
Moore had done on our first meeting
with the idiot, by initiating the bob
white" call of the quail.
We were now quite prepared for the
coming of Hugh McNeil's Hen. He had
evidently found us without following a
trail, for he burst into our midst from
the thick underground to the right, and
at once ran up to his father and began
stroking his knees beside the horse, Just
as have seen dog manifest affection.
He must have expected some return of
this demonstration, but as it was not
made he looked up and saw that his
fathers hands were bound before him.
A few seconds of dumb, unutterable
surprise; the idiot looked wonderingly
about him, and the resemblance between
him and the prisoner was for the mo-
ment startling. Suddenly he found
tongue and began to howl and bark like
a dog, and to run from one to the other,
as if to inquire the reason for his fathers
condition, or to ask for his release.
"You must make that boy stop his
noise" said to Mcneil
The idiot must have understood me,
for he suddenly stopped, laid his batter
ed musket on the ground, took off the
old knapsack, and to my great comfort
brought to view the field glasses he had
stolen from me. He pushed them into
my hand, and then began gesticulating
and calling out: dad, no ropei We uns
go home! Bow, WOW, wow-br-r-r-ri"
had made n fail11ra IF NV rray;oua