The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-17

| but the Corporal was not at all suspicious
! NV apparent situation was duplicated every
day, and / was soon sitting by the campfire,
ENJOYING the rude breakfast of the troopers
and relating some of my experiences while In
Kentucky My mount came in for some
praise. and | had to tell (which was the
! truth how had taken her from the farm of
her owner, who had raved over her loss, etc.
Being asked how | crossed the river, L
gave the name of ferry few miles below
/ nv real crossing, and which was known at
! Gallatin to be favorite place for such bust
ness By the time the relief had arrived L
! had all the information | needed, but as the
! CORPORAL urged me to wait and go into town
! with him | dared not refuse, as doing so
might arouse suspicion. | saw that their
duty was not thoroughly performed, and
thought | would have no difficulty in getting
out of the place on the farther or southern
side
But I found that unless well known rs
an inhabitant of the vicinity one must have
pass, which could only be obtained at Head
quarters, which were locatei In the court
house.
my friend, the Corporal, to whom had
given a drink from my fat bottle, went with
me. stated to the Adjutant the fact of my
having crossed the river the previous night,
and that l wanted a pass to McMinnville,
where it was understood my regiment was.
q produced my furlough, which was by
him taken into the adjoining room, and he
soon returned with a message for me to re-
port to the commanding officer there. My
heart Jumped up into my throat, and | could
hear it thump, thump; but | managed to get
through the interview very well, as, thor
oughly acquainted with the country from
which | claimed to come, | could answer his
questions correctly. My pass was soon fur
nished and as | did not wish to be questioned
| further | soon left but not before / had dis
covered that the commanding officer was the
man whose house my men were occupying at
| Gallatin.
Passing the pickets on the road to Nc
! Minnville, | took the first road leading TO the
westward, intending to keep bearing to the
right, TIL l had regained the Gallatin road.
But after another turn to the right met and
questioned negro, who told me was within
| half mile of the pickets on the Nashville
| pike. The distance must have been less,
| Judging from what soon occurred. But even
that was too close to suit me. and turning to
! the left when | reached the indicated road,
/ passed over a small hill from which |
could see the highway, nearly two miles ahead.
At the summit / suddenly came face to face
Headquarters in Gallatin, and whom / knew
had occasionally been employed there. L
noticed that he paid attention to my horse,
and turning in my saddle after he had passed
found that he had stopped and was scrutiniz-
ing me carefully.
"My first impulse was to 90 back and
question him, but soon thought best to pay
no attention to him, and rode on. Soon after
] noticed thicket of wild plum and cedar,
800 or 400 yards from the road, which /
thought offered shelter from observation, and
opening nearby gate, went to it. 1t proved
to be just what l desired, and passing around
to the farther side | led my mare into it,
looSened her girths, took off my belt, and lay
down on the grass, which grew rank and
thickly In spots where the timber vas thin
nest.
II might have been there half an hour
when my ool-gathering senses were recalled
by the actions of my steed, which suddenly
stopped eating and peered out under the
overhanging boughs of cedar. My heart
stopped beating for an instant and then
! jumped again into my throat Rolling over
on my elbows, i looked in the same direction.
A group of dozen or more horsemen, among
them the man L had met there, had halted
on the hilltop, and were scanning the road
/
my belt, / next frightened the saddle-girths,
and then took another look toward the road.
| The double traitor had found the tracks at
the gate and was dismounting TO open it.
" 1t was time for the game to break cover,
and hastily leading my mare to the edge of
the copse / threw myself into the saddle
and started across the open field. Shouts and
shots greeted my appearance, some of the
latter coming uncomfortably near. For
almost the first time since / had ridden the
animal | piled the spurs. With angry shake
of the head and ears close to poll, she an
swered the call, and with the bit in her teeth
cleared the fences which in cooler moments
We should not have thought of trying.
All my pursuers were forced to halt, and
have one thrown down, and by the time they
had started again | was across the next field,
and over the fence. Ny mind worked fast.
/ thought of home, wife, parents,s the long
road to the river, with the chances Of being
stopped on the way of the river itself, with
its rapid current and flooded channel, and the
difficulty Of reaching it in time for the boat
to be sent to my rescue, and / thought too OF
a rope with a moose at its end and how stran-
gulation would feel, if it came to that
Some of the ground was soft and the run
ming heavy, but the game animal, with the
own pace, and would not be baked by any
common fence. We had Ieaped two or three
when found myself in a lane leading to Q
groop of farm buildings. 4 low bar crossed
the ends of the lane and as we went over il
/ heard the astonished 'W-h-oo-e-e - Of a
negro, who with widely opened eyes looked us
over.
The gate leading to the highway, two
hundred or more yards away was too high u
I've surmounted, and shouting to him TO oper
it, / dashed through, and was soon out o.
sight where the road was bounded on both
sides by timber. Half mile farther on,
pulled down TO walk, and dismonnted Il
, rest my horse, leading at rapid wall. on tn.
grass by the side Of the pike that / NIGH
hear my pursuers if they still followed
Again the sagacious animal was the frs
, TO take alarm. Stopping suddenly, sh,
turned back an ear, then both, then an eye
and next ] heard the chatter Of hGofs on Tn,
pike, and / mounted several of my pur
ssuers came into view.
3" had no more time to DELAY If
sought the cover of the woodland my fina
r retreat to any of the ferries would be cut of
] and the crossings guarded, and in hostile
region ] could get no food without detection
for, of course, the story would be spread from
G house to house So my only way was to dis
D tance my pursuers and gain time enough {.
cross before they could reach the bank, for
I knew of thick brush not far above the land