The National tribune., 1898-10-20

camp. This Suggestion seemed to find favor
with the higher officers, for straightway; a,
order was issued to bring the camp forward
to this spot. In few hours this was done
The ground was cleared of, streets laid ou
and lined with snowy rows Of A tents for tn,
men and the more pretentious wall tents TO
the officers. 1t was the regiments day of
duty at the immediate 'front.' and the time
was spent IN making the camp as comfortable
as possible. Bowers of green branches were
| erected over the tents to protect them from
! the direct rays of the hot sun, which on Z
warm day make those canvas houses rs un.
endurable as an oven. The work was carried
far into the night, and when the boys arose
in the morning they surveyed the result with
no little satisfaction
=" Looks as purity as the campmeetn' at
Urbana l once went to with pap" said
Stock
It's certainly the most illgant camp Oh
iver saw, - said O'Neil.
20, lovely bower of innoceace and case.
Wei contrived To comfort and to please"
chimed in Walter.
look durned sight more work than it
needed To with them infernaly-dull axes" !"
grumbled Sam BifiiD. It's strange that the
Government cant furnish us with anything
tifstt > i!ail-teteHt, UOU even an AK tnItS as
sharp rs grubbin'-hoe
Sandy brennan. Co. AS fifer. expressed
his satisfaction, as he usually did, by retiring
to bis tent and pouring out his spirit in
flood OF tunes upon his fife.
Suddenly a roar Of field artillery and siege
guns broke the silence of the sweet Nav
morning. Shell and solid shot tore through
the camp, iurrowing the ground with un-
seemly gasles, and scattering the bowers
like q whiriwind. ONeiI and Walter saw
one 32-pound shot ricochct along with delb-
crate laziness, as if entirely conscious Of the
work 1T was intended to do, and certain to
do 1t, and, therefore, in no hurry. In its
passage 1T picked up rail lying on the
ground and sent it whrlng through the row
OF tents in which theirs was, demoishing
them us utterly rs 4 whirwind passing
through a row Of wheat-shocss. A she'll
burst and its fragments sang through the
little fiters breast, stopping his melody in
the midst of its joyous gnsh.
Howly Saints What's let all that
loose 2" said O'Neil, as he regarded the iron
storm with the calmness that he would view
Summer rain-gust.
= 1t seems that nobody saw till those trees
were cut away that we'd put our camp in
short range OF that rebel battery there, - said
Walter trying, with Indifferent success, to
initiate ONeiFs outward composure
ii Of a set of officers" grumbled
Sam Biffin; mot to know that they were
putting us within stones throw Of battery
OF siege-guns. Better get em some leather
spectacles, SO that they'll be likely to see
something
An Aid galloped along with an order for
everybody to take shovels and go to work
raising the works in front until they would
protect the camp.
Anybody but staff oilicer,'' said Bi1in,
would see them rebel cannon are SO much
higher than we are; we'll have to set the
whole township on edge before we can cover
our tents from them. / suppose the next
one that comes along will order us 10 turn
the hill upside down, so that our side will be
higher than theirs"
1--WE should have had some heavy guns in
position here to silence those fellows" said
Walter.
The next best thing will be for us to 90
ont there to the front and try little sharp
shooting on thim,'' suggested O'Ncil.
But they worked away industriously. and
by noon had added nearly a yard to the
night of the embankment, but their camp
was being raked about as badly as ever
Then the officers acted on O'NeiPs ideas and
sent out heavy force of sharpshooters well
TO the front, who crept carefully along, taking
advantage of the protection afforded by logs
and stumps, until they gained fair range of
the gun and then opened fns.llade that I'm
the effect of making the artilerymen feel til,
danger OF exposing themselves in loading their