The National tribune., 1899-11-09

first real vctim-a long, lean, lank, spindle
shank. razor-back Kentucky hog. How
on earth the bullet ever managed To hit that
skeleton without splitting is, and ever will
be, blank mystery to me; for he had got it
sularely between the ears, on the very
feather-edge of his spinal column.
The look of disgust and chagrin that
spread over Kings face when he cOmpre-
hended what he had done was a revelation.
He threw down the Pickering match, turned
swiftly around, gave vent to just one ex-
pletive, climbed back into his saddle, and
said:
Don't tell the boys, Sarge, and I'll give
you months pay"
A SELF-SACRIFICING SOLDIER.
OF course, I had to report to headquarters
the cause of the shooting, and then it really
was too funny TO keep, and somehow the
thing leaked out, and poor Fatty" King
never heard the last of it. But right here,
for fear that an injustice might possibly be
to say that Fatty" King was just as good
as he was timid and tender-hearted. and
everybody in the company learned it. For
the night was never too dark nor stormy,
never too cold nor too hot nor the distance
too far, nor the trouble or toll or trial too
great or fatiguing for that boy, if by any
means or way he could add to the comfort
or convenience Of a comrade, or minister to
the wants or necessities of the sick or
wounded dying. Hewas whole-souled,
! jolly, good-natured, unselfish and lovable
! boy, and had, and has, and ever will have,
warm place in the affection and memory
of the boys who knew him best The
writer fully believes that no army (com-
posed mostly of boys in their teens, as our
army was) could afford TO be without its
Fatty" Kings.
| The night passed off without further
u
other nights we spent on picket duty in
front OF the enemy, and when daylight
came, and We had eaten sparingly of the
contents Of our haversacks, we resumed
our march in search of Morgan.
The force that was occupying the oppo-
site side Of the river the night before had all
vanished with the darkness. Possibly
some one may have been prowling around
our camp during the night and heard of
Kings little episode with the pig, and re-
ported the facts as specimen of our marks
manship. This, of course, | can only sur
mise, but sure it is they were gone, and
something must have caused it.
| 1t fell to me with about ID others of our
company TO be assigned to the position of
rear-guard that morning, so we took up the
| line of march about so rods in rear Of the
main column. After riding in that position
for two or three hours,we came to place
in the woods where the road forked into two
ways, and as no one was left there by the
main command to inform us which of these
ways our troops had taken, and as both
lseemed freshly Travelled by horsemen, We
concluded that it was one OF those incidents
which one frequently meets with i'll thai
country, where some fallen tree or othel
obstruction had some time diverted the
travel from the regular wagon-track for q
short distance and a new road thus made
around the obstacle, which afterwards had
been removed and thus left the two ways
IL hot
these branches came together again {
short distance ahead. So we took the left
hand branch simply by chance and pushed
on.
THE WRONG ROAD.
We rode for perhaps three or four hour.
in this way without seeing anything of Ou
command, and just as we were emerging
| from large piece of woods we saw not fa
ahead of us a part of the force we We're look
, ing for-John Morgan's men. Then every
last one of us became positively sure tina
we had taken the wrong road.
Dick Pardee, n Lieutenant Of Co. ], was il
command of our small detachment tina
morning, and we halted just minute to Ie
t the newness of the situation wear off a little
for at first sight it looked as if we had bitter
( off q little more than We could handle alon,
and our find was liable TO become drug OF
| our hands.
We felt quite sure, however from tn,
manuvers Of the enemy, that they had no
seen us, SO We sat still on our horses anC
5 watched: We We're near TO the small vii
j lage or hamlet of Columbia, KY, a town
, composed of two or three dozen dwelling
e houses, general store, church, post
e office, town hall, and possibly, but by n,
7 means certainly, a schUolhouse
When We first saw them Morgan's mer
4 were in this village, but soon moved off III
5 the road leading eastward from town, ant
were quickly out of sight. Then it was ou
turn to be brave. and We rode with grea
e gusto into the very center of the town from
g the west and occupied the same position
e which the Confederate troops had held no
more than 10 minutes before
/ A few Of the most daring of the citizenl