The National tribune., 1899-06-15
The Partners Get Back to Their Regiment at Last with
All Tteir Recruits

The Partners Get Back to Their Regiment at Last with
All Tfeir Recruits.
ST and Shorty were too glad to get their
boys back, and too eager to find their regi-
ment, to waste any time in scOlding the
derelcts.
"Now you boys have had good break
fast" Si remarked with an accent of cutting
sarcasm, -at the expense of that kind
hearted gentleman, Mr.. Billings, Pm goin'
TO give you pleasant little exercise in the
shape of forced march. If you don't
make the distance between here and the
other side O. Rossville Gap quicker'n AIRY
squad has ever made it I'm much mis-
taken. Shorty, put yourself on the left,
and bring up the rear,
you bet" answered Shorty, "and I'll
take burned good care L don't lose little
Pete Skidmore."
Now" commanded ST, getting a good
lay Of the ground toward the gap, "Atten-
ton. All ready? Forward, march,"
He led off with the long march stride of
the veteran, and began threading his way
through the maze of teams, batteries, herds,
and marching men and stragglers with the
ease and certainty born of long acquaint-
ance with crowded camps. He dOjged
around regiment here, avoided a train
there, and slipped through a marching
battery at the next place with a swift,
unresting progress that quickly took away
the boys wind, and made them pant with
the exertion of keeping up.
In the rear was the relentless Shorty.
CLOSE up, there! Close up!' he kept shout
ing to those in front. Don't allow no gaps
between you. Keep marchin' distance
10 inches from back to breast. Come along,
Pete; amt a.goin' to lose you, no matter
what happens"
"Sarjint," >gasped Harry Joslyn, after
they had gone a couple of miles, don't
you call this purity fast marchin'!"
"Naah," said Si, contemptuously.
Were just crawlin along. Wait till we
git where it's a little clear, and then We'll
go. Here, cut acrOSt ahead O that battery
that's comm up a-trot."
There was rush for another mile or
two, when there was momentary halt to
allow regiment of cavalry to go by at a
quick walk.
Goodness" mI1rmured Gid Mackall, as
he set down the carpet-sack which he would
persist in carrying, "are they always in a
hurry? i s'posed that when soldiers wuz-
zent marchin' or fightin' they lay around
| camp, and played cards and stole chickens,
and wrote letters home, but everybody
| round here seems on the dead rush."
"Don't seem to be nobody pic-nickin' as
far's kin see" responded ST, "but we haint
no time to talk about it now. We must git
| to the rijimint. Forward"
Another swift push of two or three miles
brought them toward the foot of Mission
Ridge, and near the little, unpainted frame
house which had once been the home of
John Ross, the Chief of the Cherokees.
"Boys, there's the shebang or palace of
the Big Injun who used to be King of all
these. mountains and valleys" said 81,
stopping the squad to give them much
| needed rest. "He run this whole country,
and had Injuns to burn, though he gen
orally preferred to burn them that didn't
| belong to his church"
Roasted his neighbors, instid o. his
| friends, in heathen sort of a way" con-
| tinued Shorty.
What was his name2" inquired Monty
| Scruggs.
| John Ross"
| "Humph, not much of a name,". said
Monty in disappointed tone, for he had
been an asiduous reader of dime novels.
and Osceola, and Powhatan, and Jibben-
inosay, and Man-Afraid-of-Gettin His
| Neck Broke. Wasn't much of a Big Injun -
Deed he was" answered 81. HE and
| his fathers before him run this whole neck O.
woods accordin' to the Big lnjun taste, and
give the Army o the United States all they
| wanted to do. Used to knock all the other
lnjuns around here about like ten-pins.
| The RoSseS were bosses from the word GO
SDon't sound right, though said Monty
| regretfully,.., And such shack as that
'Taint any different from the hired mems
| houses on the farms in Injanny."
well, all the same, it's got to go for the
scene Of a cord O. dime novels" said Shorty
We've brung in civilization, and modern
improvements, and killed more men around
here in an hour O. working time than the
ignorant, screechin' Injuns killed since the
flood"
do them rijimnts look like the 2OOth
injianny| anxiously inquired Harry
Joslyn, pointing to some camps on the
mountain-siGe, where the men were drilling
and engaged in other scldierly duties.
"Them, snorted Shorty cont.- ptuously.