Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-03-05
CHlCKAMAUGA.
By Captain T. A. Mitchell.
[Copyright. isea. by American Press Associa'
tion.l
CHAPTER XI.
A RACE FOR LIFE.

CHAPTER XI.
ARACE FOR LIFE.
Major Burke's command was ordered
TO guard the telegraph line extending
south from Rossville The regiment
was strung out to a considerable dis
tance, each troop guarding certain
portion of the line. Corporal Ratigan
was placed in charge of section OF
two miles. Putting himself at the head
Of eight men, he led them to tho end OF
his section nearest camp. and dividing
them into two reliefs of four men each
posted them at intervals of half mile
along the line under his care. At sun
set, not being relieved. he prepared &c
spend the night in bivouac. Selecting 4
clump of trees under which to rest and
cutting some boughs for beds-or rather
to keep the men from the damp ground
the corporal established the relief, of
duty, there The rations were cooked
and eaten, after which the guard was
relieved. The corporal went out always
with the relief, posted his men and
slept pttWeen tlfneS-
IL was O'Clock in the morning when
Ratigan started out to post the last re-
lief for the night. The men followed.
grum and stupid, having just been wax
ened out of sound sleep and not yet
thoroughly aroused. The party rode to
the extreme end Of tho section, left a
man and turned back, leaving man az
every hals mile Corporal Ratigan had
posted the las, man half mile from the
bivouac and was returning when sud
denly, turning bend in the road run.
ming through wood, he deserted n
dark object before him beside the road.
Ho drew rein and watched and listened.
The dark object ~ he fixed his gaze
upon it, grew into the dim outlines Of a
vehicle, but IL was too dark for him tn
see II it contained any one. The corpo-
ral, whose mind had been fixed on tho
special duty u protecting the line, at
once assumed that some one was trying
TO cut the wire. He put spurs TO his
horse and called ont:
Halt, therel Throw up your hands
and surrender. or I'll shoot. "
The only response was swish from
whip which camo down evidently on
horses back, and the dark mass be-
fore him vanished around the bend In
the road The corporal dashed on, but
before no could get around the bend tho
object had turned again. He could hear
the rattling Of wheels and sounds of
hcrse's hoofs digging into the road at
gallop Whoever was behind that
horse must be driving at frightful
pace, for urging his own beast TO his
best he seemed TO lose rather than gain
ground. Coming TO a straight piece OF
road, he could again sec tho object be-
fore him, but in tho darkness IL was
simply darker spot than its surround.
ings. Suddenly the ears Of the corporal
caught sound that filed him with as
tonishment 1t was voice urging for
ward the horse he was chasing. Rati-
gan had supposed that whoever was try
ing 10 escape was u man, yet this voice
was different from mans tones. IL
sounded like that Of child or n woman.
The corporal was puzzled. Then il sud
denly occurred to him that perhaps no
was chasing Betsy Baggs.
Now, tho corporal was as conscien-
tious man as there was III the Army
of the Cumberland aud one OF the
most gallant, but when the suspicion
fell upon him like "A chill that ho was
after n woman whose presence, for the
brief period he had been with her, had
thrown strange spell over him he
ceased to urge his horse with the same
pressure rs before. In the midst OF the
chase there had come contest within
his own breast between two conflicting
emotions IL Betsy Baggs Were in front
Of him, what would be the result II he
should catch her? He must turn her
over to the military authorities, and the
chances were she would bo executed for
q spy. On the other hand, supposing he
permitted her TO escape, he would be
liberating an enemy far more danger
ous 70 tho army in which no served
than a dozen batteries. In short, he
would be a traitor 20 his comrades and
his cause.
Miss Baggs. for it was she, had pass
ed many pickets, had experienced many
lucky escapes. She had browbeaten Off
GERS and had cozened soldiers. She bad
gone through dozen places where
man would surely have been arrested.
And now, after passing so many dan
gers. ON tho very eve Of success, she sud
denly found herself IN the most critical
of all the situations she had ever been
placed in.
Meanwhile the long legs OF Bobby
Lee were getting over the ground at
an astonishing pace 1t was not the tri-
angulation Of former race for sport
with Corporal Ratigan, but the quick,
short Jumps of a race for life. And
Bobby seemed to know the stake. New
er in his former flights had his ears been
turned back so eagerly to catch the low
tones of his mistress Never had there
been so much feeling in that mistress
voice. 1t was: "Go on, Bobby Good
old horse. Get up! On, OIL, on! That's
a dear boy. It's life and death with me,
Bobby" continued stream OF broken
words and sentences, all Of which Bobby
seemed to understand and act upon as IT,
he had been human being.
The fugitive knew that the chase
could not be q long one. Her crazy ve-
hicle was like a rotten hulk in a storm
without sea room To the north was
the Tennessee river. and no means OF
crossing. Ahead was Chickamauga
creek, but between her and it lay the
scattered forces of the left wing of the
Union army. She knew the ground
well and had as good knowledge OF
the positions of the troops as one could
have of an army constantly changing.
The point from which she had started
was half a mile west Of Rossville OH
the Lafayette road. A mile OF chasing
had brought her near a fork. the left
road leading across Chickamausa creek
by Dyer's bridge, the right leading di-
rectly south. She determined to take
the left hand road, intending, If she
should succeed in reaching Dyer's mill,
about mile from the creek, to strike
a ford some distance below that she re-
membered having once crossed.
These possibilities flashed through
her mind like messages over a telegraph
wire while the thud of hoofs and the
Gathering of her pursuer's swinging sa-
Der were sounding in her ears.
"On. OH. Bobby: for heavens sake