The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-10-07
ANDERSONVlLLE.
fCnnfinucd from first nage.l


could scarcely restrain myself from
spr1nging up and dashing away to avoid
the shot.
Then l heard him take a step, and to
my unutterable surprise and relief, he
walked off farther from the creek, evil
IDENTIFY to speak to the man whose beat
Joined his. e.
/ pulled away moe swiftly, but still
with the greatest caution, until after
halfan-hours painful effort | had got
ten fully $50 yards away from the hos
pital fence, and found Harvey crouched
on cypress knee, close to the waters
edge, watching for me.
We waited there few minutes, until
/ could rest, and calm my perturbed
nerves down to something nearer their
normal equilibrium, and then started on.
We hoped that if we were as lucky in
our next step as in the first one we would
reach the Flint River by daylight, and
have good long start before the morn
ing roll-call revealed our absence. We
could hear the hounds still baying in
the distance, butsthis sound was too Gus
tomary to give us any uneasinesa.
But our progress was terribly slow.
Evesy step hurt fearfully. The creek
bed was full of roots and snags, and
briers and vines trailed across it. These
caught and tore our bare feet and legs,
rendered abnormally tender by the
scurvy. 1t seemed as if every step
was marked with blood. The vines
tripped us, and we frequently fell head
long. We struggled on determinedly
for nearly an hour, and were perhaps
mile from the hospital.
The moon came up, and its light
showed that the creek continued its
course through dense jungle like that
we had been traversing, while on the
high ground to our left we're the open
pine woods | have previously described.
We stopped and debated for a few
minutes. We recalled our promise to
keep in the creek, and the experience of
other boys who had tried to escape and
been caught by the hounds. If we
staid in the creek we were sure the
hounds would not find our trail, but it
was equally certain that at this rate we
would be exhausted and starved before
we got out Of sight of the prison.
1t seemed that we had gone far
enoDph to be out of reach of the packs
patrolling Immediately around the
Stockade, and there could be but little
risk in trying a short walk on the dry
ground. We concluded to take the
chances, and, ascending the bank, we
walked and ran as fast as we could tor
about two miles further.
All at once il. struck me that with all
our progress the hounds sounded as near
as when we started. | shivered at the
thought, ard though nearly ready to
drop with fatlgu, urged myself and
Harvey on.
An instant later their baying rang
out on the still night air right behind
us, and with fearful distinctness. There
was no mistake now: they had found
our trail, and were running us down.
The change from fearful apprehension
to the crushing reality stopped us stock
still in our tracks.
AT the next breath the hounds came
bursting through the woods in plain
sight, and in full cry. We obeyed our
first impulse; rushed back into the
swamp. forced our way for few yards
through the flesh-tearing impediments,
until we gained large cypress, upon
whose great knees we climbed-thor-
oughly exhausted--just as the yelping
pack reached the edge of the water,
and stopped there and bayed at us. 1t
was physical impossibility for us to go
another step.
In moment the low-browed villain
who had charge of the hound. came
galloping up on his mule, footing signals
to his dogs as he came, on the cow-horn
slung from his shoulders
He Immediately discovered us, COW
cred us with his revolver, and yelled
out:
Come ashore, there, quick"
There was no help for it. We climbed
down off the knees and started towards
the land. AS we neared it, the hounds
became almost frantic, and it seemed as if
we would be torn to pieces the moment
they could reach us. But the master
dismounted and drove them back.
He was surly even savage to us, but
seemed in too much hurry to get back to
waste any time annoying us with the
dogs. He ordered us to get around in
front of the mule, and start back to
camp. We moved as rapidly as our
fatigue and our lacerated feet would
allow us, and before midnight were
again in the hospital, fatigued, torn,
bruised and wretched beyond descrip-
ton or conception. The next morning
we were turned back into the Stockade
as punishment.
CHAPTER XIX.
AUGusT-GooD LUCK IN NOT MEETING