The National tribune., 1898-07-14

of those who sweltered in the heat during
the day, and fought the musketos on the
swamp-engiTdled leyees November and
December made life even less endurabe
There used to be something in my school
reader aboJt how the waters came down at
Lo3ore," said Walter, one day as he sat
with the rest in their leazy tent and watched
the rain pour down upon the over-full
swamps and rivers like dispersive and wide
ranging torrent. Il wish someone wonld
write companion piece about how the
waters come down at Cairo. / don't think
anybody ever saw anything like ii since the
days OF Noah. ! declare, if there were not
already enough boats around here to serve a.
arks for all OF Us I'd 90 to work tomorrow
morning IN searrh OF shittim wood to build one
| for our squat, Tor | am sure that some morn
ing we'll wake Up TO find this Old hole be-
tween the levees brin.full ard running over"
Yes, " said Bronson, and the mud. too.
| 1t couldn't have been so bad in Noahs time;
for all the animals would have been mired
and drowned as fast as they came ont Of the
ark. Even the dove wOnld have as tough
| time TO lind decent rest for the sole of her
| foot around here as she would TO find an olive
leaf token of it. This gives me an idea Of
| Holland A country which somebody once
| the Spaniarlis must have been to fight for the
| possession Of a country that must have per-
petaal midew upon it. -
" don't plane anybody for fighting for de
| Nederlands,' said Karl; - for, though dey
are farder below de top of de water dan we
are here, de eountry's one Of de finest / ever
saw. 1t is just as much c,e1ner and heater
dan de rest OF de world as dis big mud puddle
IS dirtier and nas,ier. / ieilly feel dat if we
stay here anOder munt Well all hat scales
like fishes, or fiippers like de bullrogs."
| That's folne prospect, amt it?" said
| O'Neil. Imagine US all If we staid here
until next year, turned into great big, green
bellied crackers tbat1i sit in a loine on a
cypress log in the cool of the ayvnin' and 90
headiOremost into the water with kerchunk
whin anybody distuTbs u.s. But Dim now
at the other extreme. Last year Oh was OIL
the Sfaked Plains wild Company Say of tie
Sexth Enfantry, and for days livery drop of
wather that was within moiIes of us was
what we carried wild Us. 1t sames to me that
things are not divided upavenely. We could
well spare enough wather from here to make
| thot country garden"
But there were bright, sunny DAYS which,
If the mud and swamps had been absent,
could have been passed very pleasantly
Walters first idea that the war WAS going
TO be an affair of short duTation-a series OF
rapidly following and bloody encounters that
would exhaust the rebels-had now given
place to perception Of the fact that the work
was likely 10 be protractcd through term of
years. If 10 more progress was made in the
coming years than had marked the first, the
war would certainly last as long as his term
OF enlistment AS he had at first made up
a=aaI Ia. \ Il l..
now forced himself to the accordance Of an
alternative almost rs btter-tlat Of taking
the whole OF the three years for which he had
enlisted from the career he had marked out
for himself, and deyoting them TO the cause.
lie hardly dared hope that he would survive
the struggle that long. and the many rcpeti-
tons OF the bloody day at Belmont which he
felt must come. But IL he did surviye-ii
fortune should smile upon him so uncXpect-
cdly-he felt that there would still be very
little left OF life. He was SO young the three
wears seemed a very long time 10 nina gap
IA lis life that could never be repaired.
But he resolved TO adapt himself as well as
possible TO the situation. and he threw the
zeal he had devoted TO learning the printing
trade into the acquisition of skill in his new
: profession. He paid special attention L
l craftsmanship as did also O'Neil, Bronson
( Karl, and Stock The guns they had bfough
{ away from Belmont proved to be all til,
Workmanship indicated, and the File not enl4
got permission from Capt. Moore 10 retai.
: them, but also his favor upon their effort t.
become skillful sharpshooters, and he sac
1 ceeded in procuring for them sufficient sup
l plies Of ammunition TO allow them TO practic,
all they wished.
e This was the easier, because it was dis
: covered that the ammunition was the same
: as that used by the Government Springfield
: rifles, of which very few were now being