The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-09-22

pulled over into the water about the same
time that Shorty possessed himself of the
other mans pistol and dragged him out Of
! the canoe.
! Hold fast in the center there. Iieuten-
ant, " he called out, as he dropped the pistol
into his bosom and took in the situation
with n quick glance. lyon two Johnnies
hold on to the log like grim death to a dead
niger, and you won't drown"
He carefully worked himself from the LOG
into the canoe, ana then ST did the same.
| They had come to "a part where the water
spread out in broad and toleTably-calm lake
over the valley, but there WAS gorge at the
/ farther end through which il was rushing
with roar Log and canoe were drifting
in that direction, and while the changes were
being made the canoe driited away from the
| log.
! Hold on, men," shouted the Lieutenant:
you are certainly not going to abandon
your ofiicer?"
Certainly not" said Shorty. How
Could you imagine such a thing? But Just
how to trade you of for this rebel passenger
presents difficulties. IL we try to throw him
overheard we shall certainly tip the canoc
over. And I'm afraid he's not the man 20
give up peaceahly dry seat III the canoe for
your Ter u on the loo.
= order you to come back here ut once
and take me in that boat, said the I.ieuIen-
ant impeTatiyely.
I'VE are comm back all right" said
Shorty; bat we're not goin' to let you tip
this canoe over for 10 Second Lieutenants.
Well git YOU out o. the scrape somehow.
Don fret"
Hello, thar Help, Help" came
tho IN ,yhfch nt
The same time had something familiar IN
them.
Hello; yourSelfi" responded Shorty,
making out little distance away, n 10
boat, that is rude, clumsy, squarebot-
toned, square-ended sort of skiff-in
which was one man. What's wanted ?"
Pm out here adrift without no oars, f."
came in the now-disiinctly recognizable
voice of jeff blackberry. :" Won't yo' please
tow me ashorc?"
les 90 out there and git him." said
Shorty to 81. . We kin put all these fellers
in that jo-boat and save EN-"
A few strokes of their paddles brought
them alongside.
g How in the world did you come here,
blackberry? " asked Shorty.
80, that ole woman that / wanted 40 bad
that | couldn't rest till l got her WIZ red
hot t. git rid o. me, - whned blackberry. "She
tried haif-a- dozen ways-puttin' wild pars-
nip in my likker, giving me pokeberry Bit
tiers, and so on, but nothin' fetched me.
Finally she deviled me to carry her acrost
the erick to the COnfederit lines. L found
this ole jo-boat at Last, an we got in Sud-
IDENTIFY, quick as lightnin', she pickle mp the
oars, an give the boat kick which sont hit
away out into the current. l fioated away,
yellin' at her, an she standin' On the bank
GRIMM at me and cussin'. I've been havin'
the awfulest day fioatin' down the freshet, ex-
pectin' every minute t. be drownded, an both
sides pluggin' away at me whenever they
ketched sight o. me. / wuz willin' t. sur
render t. either one that'd save me from being
drownded, but none of 'em seemed T. care
durn about my drowndin' they only wanted
t. plug me"
PLEASE save me, Mister" begged jeff,
" an I'll do anything under the shinin' sun
:Or yo'; I'll jine the Yankee army; I'll lead
30 to whar ihar's nests o. the pizenest BUSH
whackers. III do anything yo' kin AK me.
Only save me from bein' drownded Right
down thsr's the big falls, an if go over
them. nothin' kin save me from drowndin'."
And he began doleful numbering.
''On general principles, think that'd be
The best thing that could happen" remarked
Shorty. 4" But haven't time to discuss that
now. Will you do just what we want, if we
save Your lift?"
:. Yes; yes, responded he eagerly.
Well, il you don't, at the very minute |
tell YOU, I'll plug you for certain with this, !"
said Shorty, showing the revolver Mind
III not speak twice. I'll give you no warn
in You do what tell you on the jump, or
I'll be worse to you than Mrs. Bolster.
First place, take this man in with you. And
you Ito the rebel in the canoe) mind how you
git into that boat. Don't you dare on your
life, kick the canoe over as you crawl out. If
find it rocks the least bit as you leave I'll
bust your cocoa-nut rs the last act of my
military career. Now crawl out"
The rebel crawled over the gunwale into
the boat as cautiously as if there were tor
pedoes under him.
Now" said Shorty, with sigh of relief
as the man was at last out of the canoe,
we'll paddle around here, and pick up
some pieces of boards for you to use as oars.
Then you bring the boat over to that log"
This was done, and tho Lieutenant and the
two rebels clinging to the log were trans
ferred to the jo-boat. The moment the Lieu
tenant felt himself in the comparative secur-
ity of the io-boat his desire for command
asserted itself.
Now, men," said he, authoritativcly,
"pull away for the other side, pointing up
stream That glow over there is our camp
fires Make for it."
All right, LoOtenant," said Shorty.
I" You command that boat. You've got
your revolver with you, and kin make 'em
mind. Well pick up some more boards, so
as to have oars for all o. 'em. They'd bet
ter use 'em lively, for it amt a great ways t.
the suck. II you git into that you'll go to
Davy Jones as sure as the Lord made little
apples Paddle, now, if you value your lives.
Me and ST are goin' back to look for that
galoot that shot at US. We want to make q
present of him to our Colonel, who's after
information from the other side. We want
his gun and another one to make up for the
two that we had to leave on the island.
Well join you before you git acrost."
The Lieutenant lifted up his voice in re-
remOnstrance against the desperate under
taking, but 81 and Shorty padded swiftly
away, leaving him and his squad to struggle
over the muddy lake in their clumsy bateau.
Though the boys were sadly worn by the
days exciting adventures, yet they were ami
mated by the hope of doing something that
would signallv retrieve their earlier mis-
fortunes. Both were adopts at canoe naviga-
ton the canoe was light and easily managed
with but two in it, and they had gotten the
Law of the shore so we'll in mind that they