The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-27
CHAPTER ".
q
ACROSS THE THRE9HOTl

ss" ACROSS THE THRESHOLD.
Fate frowned upon Lieutenant Oak
man that afternoon in eastern Georgia.
There was more in this side expedition
upon which he had ventured than hi
captors suspected. He was engaged on
momentous business. but all prospect Of
success seemed to have vanished with
his capture.
As the three men moved along the
cotton field toward the mansion of Gen
eral Eldridge, with the mare Fanny fol-
lowing as obediently as a well trained
dog, the thought Of the prisoner went
to Sam Borland, the scout who had &C.
companied him on his perilous enter
prise. The two had separated, but, as
has been shown, remained in sight of
each other.
What had become of Borland and
what was he doing while his superior
stood in such imminent need of help1
He must have heard the sound Of firing
and could not fail to know the extrem-
ity of the lieutenant. Why was he idle
or calmly watching his comrade as he
plodded painfully forward with Con-
federate captor on either hand?
Borland had no superior as a sharp
shooter in the American army, while
his intrepidity had been complimented
more than once by Fitzpatrick, Slocum
and General Sherman himself Had it
been otherwise he would not have been
selected as the companion of the New
England officer on this delicately dan
gerous enterprise.
Oakman expected the interference Of
he scout, who could readily pick off
one of the captors and thus place HIM
self on even terms with the other, but
the fragments of cotton bolls slowly
swept to the rear Of the trio, and Bor-
land gave no sign.
When the prisoner looked backward
for the third time, pretending he was
commiserating his mare, the bushy
whiskers around the mouth of Jim
Ackers twitched in a way that showed
he was grinning. He said, with
chuckle:
81 allow you won't see him yet
awhile, leftenant.
"Whom do you mean9' asked Oak
man, impressed with a sudden fear.
''That scout Of yourn. He's out the
ring"
"Dead9'
"Not exactly, but he was gathered
in before you.'
''How did it happen7 That's too
bad," was the bitter comment Of the
captive
II reckon it is from your p int of
view, but you didn't think, leftenant,
lid you, that Tim and me are the only
Johnny rebs in this part Of the country
There's more than 30 Of us scouting
through these parts, and, Yank. we
we're waiting for you"
A frightful dread passed through the
'rame Of the wounded officer. He felt
lis pale face flush under fear that un-
III that moment was stranger to him,
or the manner and the words Of Jim
Ackers limited Of treachery very near to j
:,
Was it possible' If the intimation of ,
lis captor was based on fact, the dread =
hat Lieutenant Oakman felt was not :
or himself, but for another. The fate
# that individual might we'll make the
,ravest man shudder.
The officer looked appealingly at
Ackers and the rugged fellow answered
With solemn wink of the eye. ~
Had not the prisoner been suffering
cutely from his wound he might have
cit more hopeful. but it seemed to him 9
hat the disaster which impended was =
rretrievable. With native American !.
luck, however, he set his teeth, resolv- Il
d to brave it through to the end.
Meanwhile it was becoming evident G.
very minute that the wound in his Il
I'm was more serious than at first sup q
osed. There was little bleeding through u
he crude bandage, but the pain and y
artial numbness showed that it needed u