The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-05
CHAPTER II.

ONeiI when dragged ashore by his cap
TORS, was overcome and Frustrated by his
ath in the Mississippi, Superadded to the
fatigue and hunger he suffered from pre-
ViOuS 10 his lmmerS ion. The rebels re
ivived him with a dram of whisky from a
canteen. The first words he caught after
the restorative effects of the liquor had
begun to be felt were:
"Oill list bet he's one of the biggest an
best spys ole Grant has. He's up TO more
divilment than we've eny idea OF. he's
kim down here ter meet someone who ii
sell out information thatll let Giant inter
| Vicksburg."
"a spy, am Or" said O'Neil, inwardly
| How foinely Olive disguised meself. Bar
rim the thrfie of blue uniform, all rege
bein' Union soldier. What the divil do
they think Old wear whin Ohm not in
idisgoise?'
Well hustle i'm off ter Headquarters,
an hev i'm examined" said the speaker.
| Send him to Headquarters? Not
much" said another in a decisive tone.
Dye want ter Civ all the credit ter some
of them young whippersnappers round
Headquarters? Well keep him here till
mornin', an take him up to Headquarters
| list about the time the Ginirel wakes up
an hes he'd his mornin cocktail an IS
elm his best. Well walk him right up
in front O. the hull brigade, an thin I'd
| like ter see eny OF them Headquarters
bummerS cheat us out o the cridit of
| this"
the others. BILL Simms's heads monty
| livil thar"
"An' now well strip i'm an s'arch his
cloze. Well likely as not, | reckon, fin ;
sumthin thatll Lit the hull plot out, said
| Bill SimmS.
"Yis, moighty foine docerments yell
| foind, - thought O'Neil. I'm one pockets
| a lether from Father O'ShaughneSSy, ad-
| mon iSh in me on the avis of intemper-
ance, an some tracts on the same sub
| jec' w ich Oh wer' "a savin' fur Shawn
paper. An in the other bill from the
sutltr, wild an account of all the quart
cans of preserved peaches thet Olive he'd
since pay day; the only sign OF peaches
in thin cans is the label on the outs ide.
They hold a superior article OF whisky,
'ceptin a taste of the tin
He was too weak to resist when they
began to strip him. They removed his
clothes and gave him blanket to wrap
around him. He crouched over the fire,
which the cold of the night made very
CHEEKY.
The rebels thought bold and daring
emissary Of their arch enemy had fallen
into their hands. There was no other ex-
PLANTATION of his presence when they
found him than that he was on an Grand
of the greatest Importance connected with
the military operations against the city.
lney were DIS SstHSuiDt vi SoluC
document that would give a clew to or ex-
plain all this as they were that commits
sions as officers awaited them to reward
them for their magnificent luck.
O'Neil laughed quietly in spite of his
uncomfortable position as he watched
them spelling out in laborious way the
pious vice of good Father O'Shaugh
nessey and the suffers almost illegible
scrawI. They gained no information, and
laid the papers aside for further examina
ton by daylight.
Then O'NeiI saw them pull his plug to-
bacco to pieces leaf by leaf for a hidden
message. His pipe, his watch, his knife,
and "A deck OF cards were examined with
equal care, each failure making them the
more certain that the next article would
bring them the long looked for papers.
When they began ripping his clothes to
pieces O'Neil's amusement turned to an
ger. They pulled apart every piece of his
| cap, coat, vest, and pantaloons. O'Nel
considered this desecration OF the
| United States uniform.
| "Ye murtherin' raskils,' said he in a
rage. yer takin' onpardernabii libirties