The National tribune., 1898-10-20
CHAPTER XNXVII.

CHAPTER XXXVII.
QUEER CONDUCT OF a SHEEP BELL
STOCKS CAREER AS SHEPHERD GIVES
HIM SOME KNOWLEDGE THAT CONES
INTO GOOD PLAY-AN INGENIOUS AT
TEMPT TO CAPTURE A PICKET POST
FOILED.
The regiment had gone well out 20 the ex-
treme front in the slow advance upon Corinth
that followed the battle of Shiloh, and it
was Co. AS dav on picket. A little squad.
of which Walter hai charge, ana in which
were O'Neii and stock the former still a
from AM considerably III advance of the
main picket-line.
The day had been pleasant, and passed
without incident until sundown. Though
their position had been chosen with express
reference to the greater view it commanded,
the prospect from it was clos .ly circIn-
scribed bv the woods and the dense an Ter
brush. S i'll, it was the best Oh that part Of
the line, and none. other admitted Of seeing
so far. They had peered anXiously all day
the enemy, bat without result.
Everything was as peaceful and serene as
in similar bit cf Northern woods on a
bright May day Catbirds ca!lel anl
screamed bluebirls warb,ed plaiHtively,
woodpeckers clattered oh the trunks of dead
trees, and solemn turkcy-bu2za;ds sailed
gravely around. stopping occasionally u
perch upon The highest branches, as if tc
sniff up and enjoy the stencil that rose from
the thousands of new graves on the neighbor-
ing battlefield.
Occasionally there floated to The ears OF
the squad the drowsy tinkle of a sheep-beil,
as if focks were grazing mile or 50 in front
of them. Walter accepted this to mean that
there was none of the enemy in that section,
for he knew The improbability of flock of
sheep being allowed to Craze undisturbed in
The neiehbOrhood of body of soldiers.
Stock listened 10 the bell, too, but with a
rising appetite for fresh mutton. He listened,
and remembered all the delicious meals of
that kind of meat he bad had in the past;
listened until his mouth watered over the
pictured possibilities of change in the tire
some menu of the camp that might be made
with single sheep. 1t was likely that there
were plenty of lambs in the flock, and what
could be nicer than Spring lamb? But the
orders were strict against leaving the post,
and especially against going out in front,
where there was possibility of being picked
up by the enemy's scouts, so Stock had to
content himself with listening and longing.
Soon he was delighted TO notice that the
sound of the bell was coming nearer. 1t
came steadily on until it was so near that he
began TO contemplate disobedience of the
orders by rush out to tie flock, and he was
on the point of asking ONeil to accompany
him, when little eccentricity in the tinkle
of the bell caused him to stop Motioning
the rest to keep perfectly still, he listened
again intenuy.
I've tux keer of sheep all my life, F." he
said, in an explanatory way 10 Walter and
O'Neil, and Eve listened to sheep-bells
purity nearly every hour that I've bin awake.
But / never heerd airy bell like that ere one.
If there's a wether packin' it he's the queertst
anmile i ever heerd on. -
Inspired by these doubts the rest listened
more carefully, and were not long in coming
TO the conclusion that there was certainly
something very peculiar in the movements
Of that bell-wether. BY this time the sound
had advanced TO the very edge Of the woods,
and to within 100 yards Of the picket-post.
I'm goin' to fire at that BELL anyway
= said Stock, bringing his musket to his face.
IF / hit it and it's sheep, we'll hev some
stewed mutton fur supper. If it amt a
sheep, why, we'll find out what it really is,
wbich'll be something
He fired. There was very un-sheeplike
exclamation in the thicket, and a confused
tinkle Of the bell.
Then yell, and rattle from about so
rebel Euskets replied. The bullets sang
sayagely, but the boys had sought cover al
most involuntarily when Stock fired, and not
one was struck. They returned the fire, and a
lively skirmish began. The reserve came up
at double-quick, and threw its fire into the
brush. Then all became quiet there the
rebels had gone.
An advance was made ik5o the thicket
One dead man was found and one lying
across a low fence, groaning from a shattered
tbigh-bone. Around his neck still hung a
small sheep-bell. The level RAYS of the set
ting sun came through rift in the trees and
fell full upon the mans face. Walter recog-
nized the features of Dick Morgan, his fellow
compositor of Secessionist sympathies, who,
about the time he and Bronson had enlisted
had gone TO the rebel army
Thus an ingenious scheme to slip upon and
capture picket-post had come TO disastrous
conclusion.