The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-09-29

numerous and interesting. The sketches
will appear i'll many issues. Their friends
have seen their graduation from raw
recruits to veterans, and have followed them
IN their campaigns to Murfreesbero They
are now on the Tulahoma campaign, moving
towards Shelbyville.
There Were Other Distressing Enemies BE-
sides the Rebels. the Rain. the Mud. and
| the Swollen Streams.
ST woke up early the next morning with
q savage exclamation.
Il declare, Pm all on fire." he said.
Something's just eating me up ] believe
Fve GOT million graybaclls on me"
Same here, ST." said Shorty. Never
knowed 'em to be so bad. Seem to we Just
got III from march, and are chawin' three
| days rationS out o me every minute. I'd n
thought they'd all We bin drowned from the
duckin' they've bin hayn' for the past five
days, but it only seems to've sharpened their
teeth and whetted their appetites. They've
all come to dinner, and invited their friends :"
"Where in the world could they have all
come from?" meditated ST. 1--WE wuz GER
tainly clean of 'em when we started out six
days ago"
80, the rebels skipped out in SIGH a
hurry" explained Shorty, -" that they even
dropped their household pets, which we in
herited as we follered em up. / wish this
Internal rain'd let up long enough for us
to do some skirmishin' and bile our clothes
Or if the sun'd only come out an hour or
two we could find an ant-hll, an lay our
clothes on it, / don't know any little
thing that / enjoy more on pleasant day
|
GRUMPY than to pull off my shirt and lay
it on q lively ant-hll, and light my pipe and
set there and watch the busy ants collar its
inhabitants and carry 'em off to fill up their
smeke-houses with Winter-meat.n
He put his hand meditatively into his
bosom as he spoke. AS he withdrew it he
looked down and exclaimed:
"Jehosephat, it's fleas, too Just look
there I'm alive with feas. +"
.'Same here,n calculated 81, who had
made similar discovery. Just look at
'em, hoppin out everywhere The rebels
have not only set their grayback infantry on
to us, but are jumping us with their flea
cavalry"
IF you call the graybacks infantry and
| the heas cavalry, what in the world do you
call these, 81 2" said shorty, who had made
still another discovery, and was pointing to
his wrists and ankles, where rows of gOrged
! ticks. looking like drops of fresh blood en-
circled his limbs.
"Thems heavy artillery" answered ST;
and, Great Scott, I've got more OF 'em on
me than you have. And there's some just
back of your ears, Shorty. Be careful,
Shorty. Don't touch 'em. Le' me work
'em off BE awful careful. If you break
their heads off they'll stay in and make
10 .l
They looked down the long lines of men
who like themselves, had been rudely awak
eued from their slumber ON wet beds by the
pestilence that walketh by night" There
were howls, yells oaths and imprecations
from everybody. Officers forgot their care
fully maintained dignity, and were as vocifer-
Gus and profane as the men.
Many were stripped, and trying to SINCE
their wet clothes over the smoldering fires.
Many were even trying to subdue the pests
by thrashing their garments in the cold water
of the creek.
"'Bout as much use as General Order
| from Army Headquarters would be agin the
varmints, " said Shorty, as he watched their
| futile labors Say, you felers," he called
out to them; why don't you repeat the ten
commandments to 'em? Ok sing the doxol-
ogy? It'll do Just rs much good as sloshing
your buds around in the water. The water
only makes 'em savager'n ever. You ought
to know that from experience"
| BY the happy thought OF gently touching
the gorged wood-ticks with the point of a
pin 81 and Shorty had gotten rid of those
plaques, heads and all, SO as to leave no APP
prehension as to future sores. They COM
municated this method TO their afflicted COM
rades, and then turned their attention to the
other parasites.
q guess I'll just go down to the Surgeons
tent and git pound of angwintum, +" said
Shorty, land rub myself from head to foot
with it. That's the only thing l know Of
that II DO the least good"
Mustn't do that" objected ST. "Put
angwintum on yon and get wet, and you'll
! be saliyated. You ought to know that"
- don't care said Shorty desperately.
| "I'd rather be saivated till my teeth drop
out and my hair falls off than be carried Off
i'll large chunks by fleas and graybacks
Come along"
"Mebbc the Surgeon has something else
thatH pizen these little cusses,'' said ST,
falling in with his comrade.
They found a clamorous group around the
Surgeons tent. asking for angwintum
| (meicurial ointment) or anything else that
Won d alleviate their torments. The
| worried Surgeon was scratching himself as
he explained TO the Colonel:
. 1t seems to me, Colonel, that the rising
water has concentrated all these parasites on
the higher ground over which we have come.
This is the only way in which l can account
for their severe visitation upon Us. The
parasites seem to have the same instinct to
gather on elevated spots when the water is
rising that other animals have, and we have
consequently gathered up four or five times as
many, to say the least, as we should other
wise have gotten. But you don't know the
worst of it yet. You see those men, They
have sore feet. But it isn't ordinary sore
feet. They've got cliggers in their feet.
'Chiggers. What are they?" asked the
Colonel
'Chiggers, jiggers, chigoes-puler pene-
trans, answered the Surgeon. They are a
great pest in the tropics, where the people 90
barefooted and do not take any care OF their
feet. This is the first time that have ever
heard of them being so far north But there
is no doubt about their being chiggers They
burrow i'll under the skin, and cause a great
deal Of suffering. Some of the mans hands
and fingers are also affected by them. They
are terrible things to deal with when they
once get the start If this thing goes on,
not man i'll the regiment will be able to
walk step"
What can be done?" gasped the Col
onel, gripping for a flea in his bosom.
| A. NOthInu ~ answered ba Gnrrao,, e,,..l