The National tribune., 1899-11-09
THE WAY. MET
John MORGAN'S MEN.
tContinuedl from, third page. !

| of my presence there, but were planning 10
| capture the boys | had left down the road.
As near as coulthascertain from their con-
yerSation they had sent "a force of their men
out TO the northeast from their then position
To make a circuitof the town and to get into
| the piece of woods through which we had
come that morning, whiGh would place them
| i'll our rear; then the main force, at a given
signal. would advance on our little detach-
ment, and they would, of course, fall back
| into The trap.
well remember hearing some one of the
officers say:
Nov, when | give the word Forward. u
l want every one of yo'uns to start on the
run towards them as fast as you can, and
yell as loud as you know how"
BY this time my heart was humping my
ribs like trip-hammer. / tried my best to
quiet it. for it seemed to me that the fellows
whom heard talking could hear the noise
it was making: but it wouldn't down."
Up to this time not a thing had taken
| place which our boys could see, and yet the
signal which the rebels We're looking for
which should tell them that their force sent
ont TO reach our rear had arrived at its place
of destination at any minute might be
given, and then it would be all up with me
sure, and most likely the boys | had left
behind me would get their foot in it also. for
of course they did not suspect what the
enemy were trying to do, and would be only
too easily decoyed.
| READY FOR TROUBLE.
j had quietly laid my rifle across the
corner of the fence. with the muZzle point
ing dangerously toward the top of the hill
just ahead of me; for half expected that at
any minute might see some one appear on
the scene from that direction, and wanted
to be on my guard.
stood there perhaps two minutes, trying
to think what was best to do, and had just
made up my mind to turn back and report
| W-bDt | had found ont wh I board
one say:
You keep n sharp lookout here, for a
minute, while crawl across the road into
the brush, and see ifl can get sight of any
thing"
An instant later saw just the top of a
Souch-hat above the crest of the hill in the
road ahead of me, moving toward the under
| brush on the southeriy side. AS saw this
hat was in the act of taking my gun from
its resting-place. | had reached forward
with my left hand. and grasped the stock
in front of the cylinder, and was taking
| mold of the grip with my right 10 pick il up.
when. happening to look along the barrel, !
s wv that hat right dead in line with the two
sights.
| Instantly pressed the butt to my shoul-
der, hugged my face down close to the
cheek-piece, threw my right thumb over the
| hammer, and drew it back into position.
The lock was clean. and as ] raised the
| hammer it gave out one of those clear,
| ringing clicks which denotes good work
| rnanship and material in construction. and
| IS o7'iHous to the one who happens to be in
| the way.
| rhe sound was so loud that the one who
Wore that hat heard ii and raised his head.
| so that as was looking through the sights
| ! could see little below his right ear, which
was then turned toward me.
knew that WIS my OPPORTUNITY if ever
| was 10 have one, for if he got across the road
into the underbrush he could plainly see me
ard would very likely get my scalp.
pulled the trigger before he had time to
move
| The scene that followed beggars descrip-
| ton. The report OF my rife brought the
whole Confederate command to their feet.
| like coming to Judgment, and ! had Il chance
| to see them all; but | didn't stop to count
| them closely just then, for ] was in an
| awful hurry and pressed for time. and
didn't wait. But as they appeared to me
on the spot, and as they have appeared to
me a thousand times since then in my
frightened dreams. if Twas to speak from
impressions, without wanting to over
estimate their number, am disposed to put
the figures little below seventeen hundred
million. TO- H'A".f'-
| haven't copy of my report to Pardee
that night on this point, so Tam compelled
to go by my deep-seated Impressions; but if
that report is anywhere in existence pre-
material difference between it and my
present estimate.
AN UNMANNERI.Y CROWD.
They We're the noisiest, viIest, most pro-
fame and disorderly pack of hyenas you
ever set eyes or. They shouted. howled
and raved like madmcn. j was absolutely
frightened, they carried on so. You may
believe it or not. but think fully LOCO. if
not 800 Of them 'sassed" ne up and called
Tf1nr ne thot rafnptaI 70
before ] ever had spoken even n word to
them or they had had any opportunity to
identify me
My, but ! thought my goose was cooked"
sure. They all started toward me as fast
as they could run; they didn't seem to think
that had any feelings at all. They liter
ally poured over that stone wall and came
after me, Just punched together like a flock
of sheep. had four cartridges in my rifle
and that meant volu- IS ifthey were properly
disposed of; for in all human probability a
shot from one of those Colts rifles at the
distance then was from my assalants.
and they being in the packed condition that
they were Just then, if well aimed would go
through dozen men.
They were a little above me, and coming
straight for me. and ! knew by the very
appearance of things that couldn't expect
to remain there all Summer without run
ming the risk of getting hurt or being run
over by some of those whelps. ! emptied
those four chambers into that crowd lust
as lively as | could raise and lower the
hammer, and then ] started to hunt for
solitude
Oh! my countrymcn, how did want to
be away from that noisy mob. If some one
had ordered the whole gang to halt and
then few Of them had taken little de-
liberation in their attempt TO shoot me- they
most likely would have prevented this
sketch from being written just this way
Being in the crowd, as they We're, every
body trying to get in the first shot, and all of
them running like wolves, they wasted
pile of ammunition for nothing; except il
may be to encourage me to make heroic
respect they succeeded in Il marvellous
degree.
SHOOTING THE CHUTE"
AS ] said, the road was sloping down.
ward to the west from where we started for
at least half mile, and that would take
us down to within so rods OF town, at or
near where our boys had been staying
until about five seconds before this foot
race commenced. Tho track was slippery,
after the rain, and the sun was scorching
gusted with the crowd | was in, and
wanted to get away alone by myself.
So / hurried. j, t1ATer knew Just how
fast / could run, buff / didn't beat the
worlds record for,spripting that afternoon
it certainly was not my fault.
skated about Considerably, on account
of the soft clay Under my feet, but | am
not sure but what that helped rather than
hindered me, for It was all sliding toward
the bottom of the hill, and that was where
had started to go, Il never once turned