The National tribune., 1898-09-29

Walter repeated his request with little
acerbity of accent, but equally vainly. He
then shook the heavy slumberer sharply, and
said with impatience:
"Say, old Sleepy Head Crowd along
about foot and give me little more
room"
A broad, long continued flash of lightning
illuminated everything around with the bril-
liancy of MONDAY, and Walter saw that the
man had been cold in death for hours, as a
large portion of his head had been torn away
by a fragment of she'll By this time
Walter had become pretty well habituated to
the sight of dead men, but the thought of
smuggling ~" to one in his sleep was too
CHASTITY horrible for moments endurance.
| He made convulsive spring to his feet, and
seating himself at the foot of the tree leaned
his back against it. still shuddering at the
slckening remembrance.
Then, what was going on around him
claimed his attention. The whole sky was
covered with intensely-blacll storm clouds,
that the flashing lightnings showed as tower
ing mountains of deepest gloom. Across the
ravine came the yells, the taunts and the
drunken songs of some rebels who had be-
come Intoxicated upon the whisky they found
In the captured Sutler shops and CommlSsary
tents. Farther back the dry limbs and
trunks of the trees in the deadsning were
feeding into a grand conflagration u fire
which had been started by the bursting
shells. Long, narrow tongues of bright
flame ran around the bodies and out the
limbs Of the wthered trees, like keen, 1.-THE
hungry serpents of fire, Selling their coveted
prey. In the river to The left lay the gun
boats, sullen and black as the angry clouds
above them. From time to time fierce fires
blazed out from their inlly sides, and their
guns sent huge shells shrieking and crashing
over to where the rebels were lying.
Others than Walter were awake and NOV
ing around near him. and from their CONVEX
sation he learned that Baell's army had
come up, and was being fcrried across the
river as fast as the steamboats, couil ID it.
He could himself see their solid columns,
revealed Icy the cleaning lightning. march
ing out 10 their d"si2aa;cl places Oh the left
of the line. men and officers siri,iin@ along in
that grim silence Customary when men know
the desperate work before them Lew Wal |
lace's Division, which had been kept ont Of
the battle of the day by mistake Of the
road, had also come MP and gone in on the |
right. The orders were that the battle should |
be renewed at daylight by vigorous advance !
of the whole line.
Then the long threatening storm burst upon |
them with deluge of water that almost |
beat them TO the ground. 1t was awful. The |
thunder and tightening wind and rain stroye |
together rs if to show how much fiercer
war of the elements could be than that Of
man. In four years more of service men |
never saw the equal Of that night at Shiloh. |
One flash of lightning showed -seated on
amud-spattered and thoroughly jaded horse -
a figure that was becoming very familiar to
Walter, and destined to become more 80 every |
day for the next two years. 1t was that of
an understood man, whose predominating
expression. TO the casual observer, was that |
of silent, unobtruSive meekneSs The short, |
dark beard hid the irm-set mouth, and there |
was nothing III the calm, half-hdden gray |
eyes to remind one of pictures of great corn
manderS.
There was still less in his attitude and ap-
pearance now, as he sat there, unighted |
cigar in his right hand, reins in his left, |
apparently wholly unmindful of the drench-
ing storm beneath which his horse shrank
and trembed The rain that was caught by
his broad -brimmed hat ran down in a stream
in front OF his face. and inteIfered with his
speaking to the officer accompanying him.
He raised his hand calmly, and adjusted it
so that the water would run off behind in
stead, and went on pointing ont to the officer
where he should station his brigade, and how
ne must move in the morning.
Later in the night Walter saw Gen. Grant,
Tor it was he, dismount from his horse, walk
YEARLY to n stump seat himself upon its
DOT, lean back against its side, pull his hat
Town over his eyes, fold his arms across
lis breast, and, though the storm ragged with
lndiminished violence, fall into deep sleep,
rom which he did not awaken until just be-
ore the time he had set for lightning the
movement.
He had done world Of wearisome work
ince the battle began in the morning, and
fter it ceased he had accomplished another
gigantic task in rearrangins his lines i'll that
binding storm, in preparing for the struggle
If the morrow, in seeing that .brigades and F
batteries We're posted properly, all supplied
With ammunition, and that all understood