The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-11

were soldiers or not, and I was not GER
tain but our presence in that section was
known Anyway. I was not in a humor
10 night company of cavalry and was
not prepared to hold out against such odds
had been inclined 10 show fight. / lis
tened. and the noise grew palmer, ana
the hOrsemen were apparently within a
half mile Of me, and approaching stead
liy and rapidly. There was no fencing
along the road. and l turned my mule
into the brush 10 await developments.
was out Of sight in the bush, and had
hopes the cavalry would pass by me I'M
noticed. I waited anxiously and I must
say ] trembled with fear and determina-
ton as 1 sat there on my old mule wait
ing the hOrsemen. / did not dare to
strike out further in the brush. as the
country was new TO me. In a few min
utes they were within a few hundred
yards OF me. A moment more they were
at the point where ! had left the road.
waited anXiously. The suspense was ter
rible 1 must fight this troop single
handed or be captured in case was dis
covered 1 could not see them in the
darkness, but from the noise made from
the hoof beats I judged that there were
at least fifty men in the party.
They stopped at the point where ]
turned out of the road, and 1 ina gined
they were holding a consultation. 1 was
sure 1 was discovered. and I thought I
could hear a whispered conversation. l
confess was startled. and did not know
exactly what to do. A few OF the horse
men started in the direction Of me and
then the old mule 1 was on came to their
aid. He shifted the air, and, raising his
nose in the air, filled his lungs and gave
vent TO one of those lOng-drawn-out eff
forts at a bray that only a true-blooded
Rocky Mountain nightingale can give.
heaHr 4 frr. g
1 cut short the sorrowful song of the beast
by sticking both spurs into his side. 1
would have preferred sticking a dagger
in him, but that mule plunged headlOng
into the darkness, as I was determined to
give my pursuers a race. Not a word was
said and not shot was fired but 1 felt
1 was in a tight place, and determined to
sell my life dearly.
" The party followed me and appeared
to spread out, and, thought, were evil
IDENTIFY surrounding me, leaving me no
avenue of escape. l saw that as long as
1 rode that mule l was giving my pur-
suers an indication of my whereabouts,
and decided to use little strategy in my
movements. / halted, in order to dis
mount, thinking that 1 might dismount
and get into the brush afoOt, giving me a
chance to hide and let the pursuers pass by
me unnoticed. Some of them passed me
within twenty-five yards. The pause gave
my mule chance, and he emitted another
energetic bray. l was angry enough to
have shot him at the moment. In a second
the whole woods was alive with braying
mules. I never heard such a serenade of
nightingales in my life before The whole
party of pursuing horsemen rushed upon
me, and l was nearly carried off my mule
by the rush. l had not yet dismounted-
and 1t was a good thing l had not. as 1
would have been trampled to death.
gnrrOnndad hxs--fngfan1 IF hnr n
as | had Supposed heard of young mules.
There was not rider among them. / had
left the door of the stable unfastened.
How in the world those mules followed
me do not know, as they We're the pack
of young mules that l had left behind.
suppose that some one up in mythology
can explain, but they beat the average
bloodhound. l lay down on my old mule
and had a hearty laugh over the ridicu-
lous situation and then l started on my
way, with my mule cavalry. / was the
general, and they all obeyed orders we'll
as the only general order was, Forward,
double time" had not gone many miles
before 1 ran across a detachment of cav
airy not over a dozen, ] think. We were on
them before they knew it. They had
camped close by the roadside after their
scouting trip, to rest. and had fallen to
sleep, picket and all. AS l came galloping
down the road heard them hastily mount,
and, leaving their blankets. they made a
dash for their lives. They evidently did
not know my troop, and were of the i'm
preston that 1 had been when the mules
joined me. 1 had another good laugh as
the union cavalry detachment were dash
ing off toward the main body. proceeded
on my way with my mule troop, and final
~ reached Quantrell.
This was my greatest scare; and do you
blame me for being frightened when the
same troop, With the addition of myself
put to rout detachment of dozen I'M
ion cayalry?"