The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-07-28

"They've got ean1gh, and more, too"
said Bronson. You and Stock fire after
them to hurry them up, while 1 look after
| O'Neil'
O'Nel was already sitting up, rubbing his
head in dazed sort of way. Bronson made
an examination and found that the bullet
| from rifle had struck the bone by the side
of his right eye and scraped along the skull,
making an ugly-looking but not dangerous
| wound
Jasus," said OKeiB as he became conci-
Gus of what had happened to him; ga half
| an inch more and it'd let out all me schoolin'
that cost me faytller sich hapes o. money.
The inemy is gone, is he? But where's the
old woman ?"
Attention was now given to their precious
captive. The bullet which had wounded
O'Neil had struck with sharp crack the log
behind which she was lying. Higher than
ever rang out her shrill 90! Lordy," and
down went her head and up went her heels
with frantic suddenness. The next instant
she sprang to her feet and screamed:
Fur Gawd's sake, let me git away. Take
me any place you want to- I'll go straight
to camp with We if yell only leave here"
Karl thought it best to take instant adj
| vantage of this favorable move, and pressed
on to camp with her. He called out to Bron-
son what he was about to do, and received
his approval. The old woman started off
with long, swinging gait, that contrasted
strangely with her reluctant steps that had
brought her thus far. 1t was all Karl could
do to keep up with her. She knew all the
short cuts and byways as well as the rabbits
and hounds, and in short space of time
brought him in sight of the pickets
In the meantime, O'Neips strength had re-
turned. The blood had been stanched, and
with his head bound up with handkerchief,
he hurried on with the rest after Karl and
the woman, whom they overlook at the picket
lines.
Once inside the lines, anxiety in regard to
the gunboats returned with tenfold force.
No one knew whether they had started out
or not, but the officer of the guard mounted
his horse and dashed off to headquarters to
have them held until the womans story
could be heard
The long tramp through the muddy coun-
try had exhausted them very much, but ex-
element still kept them up, and at last they
reached headquarters where little whisky
was rendered each Of them, and eagerly &C
cepted by O'Neil, Stock, the woman and
JOSH
Whether the excitement of the occasion,
the consideration with which she was re-
celved, the whisky, or the natural human
love Of telling important news-or combi-
nation of these-that loosened the humans
tongue and prevented what Bronson dreaded
"a sulky indisposition to tell all she knew
cannot be said with certainty; but she grew
absolutely garrulous on the subject of tor
pedoes ard volunteered to go and point out
where they were planted-if assured there
would be no more shooting like that which
all but skeered the life outen me-"
The assurance was given, and after receiy-
ing another ration of spirits, she went aboard
little tug in the river and pointed out the
location of the Internal A force
of sailors were Immediately set to work, and
soon eight ugly sheet-iron cans, surmounted
with prongs, to catch the bottoms of ascend
ing boats, were taken out of the channel
and laid upon the bank. One OF them was
opened with care, and found to contain IS
pounds of powder.,s Ii
1t diminished the importance of their dis
covery somewhat to find that the powder in
the infernal-machine had become so wet as
to make the firing Of it out of the question
even if danger from this source was not al
ready done away with oby rise of the river
25 feet above its usual level, which, as the
torpedoes were anchored to the bottom of the
stream, put it out of their power to do any
harm.
Ito be coatinued)