The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-09-01

interesting stream. You might die without
seeing it. Men Ito 81 and Shorty take him
down that road about mile, where you will
find a considerable body of water which I'm
given to understand is called Goober Creek
You'll show it to him in all its magniScenee
and beauty. Geography is very interesting
study, old man, and it is not too late for you
to begin getting acquainted with your own
country"
The bitter humor of taking a man
through the mud and pouring rain to see a
creek that he had seen nearly every day of
his life for halfcentury was such that all
the men We're in mood to appreciate. 81 and
Shorty entered into the affair with zest. They
put blanket on the old mans shoulders, to
shelter him from the rain. Such thing as
an umbrella had never been in his house.
Even the women would have looked upon it
as piece of luxurious effeminacy.
The old fellow grumbled, expostulated, and
protested, but if 81 and Shorty had had no
other motive, orders direct from the Briga-
dier-General would have been executed at
any cost 1t was the first time that they had
ever received orders from anybody higher
than the Colonel, and the effect upon them
was extraordinary.
''What in the everlastin' kingdom, y
grumbled he, skin your niggah-lovin'
Yankees expect t. gain by draggin' me out
when hits a-rainin' cats and dogs?"
"Don't know nothin' about it, answered
81, catching him by the shoulder to hurry him
up. ''Taint our business to know. We
amt paid for KNOWN anything more than
orders, and hardly enough for that A man
can't know much for S13 a month";
"'Twon't help yer nigger-stealin' army q
mite t. pint out Goober Crick t. me. / amt
gwine t. tote We over nor show We the fords. y
Don't care nOthin' about that neither, D
replied Shorty, as they pushed the.old man
along through the binding rain. "Our
orders is merely to show you Goober Cricl1
'Tain't none o. our business what the General
wants you to see it for Mebbe he thinks If
III improve your mind to gaze on the beauties
o. nature. Mebbe he thinks you need exer-
else. Mebbe he thinks a shower-bath'd dc
you good"
The column had been checked by some
difficulty in front, and as the boys conveyed
their charge through the ranks of waiting
men it seemed that everybody understood
what they were doing and volleys of sarcasm
were flung at their prisoner. There were in
guiries as to how he liked the study Of
geography as far as he had gotten; whether
he would continue it in more favorable
weather, and whether this primary lesson
would be follwed by others on the road to the
mill, the path to the stable, and the way tC
the spring. If the old man had not already
been as angry as he could be, his temper
would have risen.
After lot of toilsOme pl0dding through
the rain and mud which the passing wagons
had made fathomless, they came to the TOP
of a high hill, from which they could look
down on a turbid sweep of yellow water,
about half mile away, which filled nearly
the whole valley.
The reason of the delay was at once appar-
ent. The insignificant stream had suddenly
become an almost-impassable obstacle. Men
were riding carefully across the submerged
bottom land, prodding with poles, to pick out
crossings. Others were digging down APP
prolches to what seemed promising crossings
and making rude bridges across gullie5 and
smaller streams that interviewed
1t seemed that the fresh young Aid with
whom the boys had the encounter the day
before had in some mysterious way gained
charge of the advance. He had graduated
into the Engineer Corps from West Point,
and here was an opportunity to display his
immense knowledge to the glory of himself
and the Engineers and the establishment of
those inferior persons who were merely Off
GERS of cavalry, infantry and artillery. Now
he would show off the shrewd expedients
and devices which have embellished the
history of military engineering since the
days of Hannibal and julius Cesar.
That everybody might know who was
doing all this the Aid was riding back and
forward, loudly commanding parties engaged
in various efforts over more than quarter
of mile of front. He had brought up the
pontoon-train, and the pontoniers were hav-
ing hard time trying to advance the boats
into the rushing waters. 1t was all that the
men could do to hold them against the swift
current. If a pole slipped or went down in
a deep hole the man holding it would slip
and probably fall overheard, the boat would
whirl around and drift far out of its place,
requiring great labor to bring it back again,
and bringing down torrent of curses from
the young Lieutenant on the clumsiness of
the Stoughton bottles " who were pretend
ing to be soldiers and pontoniers. He was
feeling that every word of this kind showed
off his superior knowledge to those around.
Some of the men were standing waist-deep
in the water, trying to fasten lines to trees,
to hold in place the boats already stationed,
and being held there by arms straining at the
poles. Everywhere those engaged in the
work were tumbling down in the water or
being carried off their feet by the current
and rescued again with difficulty, to be
hauled out on the bank exhausted, soaked to
the skin and covered with Shiny mud.
For awhile this had seemed funny to the
troops waiting to cross, and they had yelled
and laughed themselves hOarSe at the mis-