The National tribune., 1899-11-09
A COSSACK ACT,

that morning, and L had taken a green
but very kind and docile Kentucky three
what she would do under the peculiar
circumstances in which she was then
placed were very uncertain quantity.
As soon as | got near enough to her sc
that ! thought she could hear me | com
menced to call her pet names and to plead
with her TO wait for me il she loved me.
could see that she was becoming very
nervous as we neared the spot where she
was standing, for that was Just where
was steering, and as ! pulled the stroke
oar that day, the rest were bound to fol-
low. We all went flying down the road
toward that poor, frightened thing like so
many raving. distracted devils.
How | did talk to that little mare,
saw her turn halfway around, as if to
light out, and my heart almost stopped
beating. Her body trembed as she stood
with elevated head, eyes dilated, and nos
trils distended. contemplating in blank
amaZement that most inhuman spectacle.
"Scott!' but / thought sure that my
name was Dennis" But | called and
flattered and petted and fattered and
called, and ran as only n poor wretch
in Just such a fix as j was then in
could do; and to my utter amazement and
inexpressible delight, she remained wait
ing, though snorting and trembling, until
i, by last desperate and almost super
human effort, reached her side and her
rein.
Didn't those Johnny Rebs hump them,
selves when they saw that ] was likely tC
reach re- my horse and give them the slip;
have seen that finish. 1t must have been
better than circus to an outsider.
| said that my filiy had turned partly
around, as if to run away. That proved
most fortunate for me, for when / came
up to her she was standing square across
II, Lea L.
and as | neared her so gauged my stride
that L literally ran into the saddle without
any perceptible delay in getting my left
foot into the stirrup and swinging myself
into position.
l did that last act, too. quick, you bet
but, then. it wasn't bit too quick. for, as
rolled over into the saddle and gave hei
the rowel with my right heel, there were
several of my followers who were almost
near enough to catch my horse by the
tail.
They didn't quite make the connection.
'AND STILL THEY COME"
] had hardly Strengthened up in my
saddle before 1 made a new discovery
that a large force of the enemy, which had
probably been too far over to the right OF
their line to engage in the chase after me,
were hurrylng down TO road leading of
to the north from town, which our boys
had taken when they left. instead of going
back west the way we had come This
road leading north / must take also il !
expected to join our detachment, and the
Johnny ReLs knew it. That was why
they were climbing over each other to get
there before could.
There was only one thing left for me to
do-let my bonny bay strain nerve for
me, and let her do it. When first mount
ed had about 30 rods to go before reaching
the center of the town, and then about
-
fore | would come to this road leading
north; then something like the same dis
tance, or little more, out this road north
ward was where the force of Confederate
soldiers was trying to get, that they might
head me off. ] could see at glance that
it was not merely fight or a foot-race; il
was both. More than that, / was the
only available man just at that time that
the United States could depend upon TO
undertake the task, and / felt that the
eyes Of the Nation were upon me.
dropped the reins on my horses neck,
grabbed a case of cartridges out of my
box, caught the little string in my teeth
tlIat was sealed down under the covering
to the cells which contained the different
cartridges tore it up, released the charges,
and turned them out into my hand in less
time than it has taken to tell it, not for
getting in the meantime to urge my flying
tlly by few Cherokee war-whoops.
WIS jllSL pushing Tie llTSI cartridge
into its chamber in the cylinder of my
rifle when we came to the corner where
wanted to turn north, and as the road was
slippery and my little mare going at a
frightful stride, let go of the lever of my
gun and gathered the reinS as quickly as
could, at the same time leaning away over
to the right.
Swing CORNERS"
] half expected to see her feet go out from
under her as she rounded the corner. and
] curled my right leg up and back away
from her side, so that ! might not get it
caught and held under her ii she fell My
precaution was not necessary; my little
mare was made of royal stuff. She must
have been a thoroughbred from away
back, and evidently she had been some
where before. She knew her business,
and she knew how to attend to it when
necessity required. She went around that
corner like a cyclone, her neck and tail
stretched out like Il yard-stick, her ears
laid back. and her nose extended like
spirit-level, while her body swung in to-
wards the inside of the circle she was max
ing, until it seemed as though my right
stirrup would drag on the ground; and
her feet clattering like drum-sticks, were
shoveling all kinds of clay seventeen ways
for Sunday.
1t makes my nerves tingle yet to think
of her splendid performance that day.
Hc lilStiIt StiN size NpJtu MAKE the turn
all right, ] dropped the reins again on her
neck and began loading my gun. / had
soon put two other charges to their place
and fixed the caps on the nipples, and by
that time ] was nearly abreast of the gang
that was trying to intercept me. They,
too, like the others, We're so eager to take
me into camp that they were climbing over
each other to be first over the fence into
the road ahead of me. None of them had
gotten fairly over the fence as yet, but were
mostly punched in the field. They were
as ill-behayed as the mob had just left.
j commenced Just little before ! came
up abreast of them, and gave them car
fridge number one, then number two and
number three, followed i'll quick success
sion, and as / passed by the crowd | bade
the whole graceless pack an affectionate
farewell, and hurried on to catch up, if
possible, with our detachment, so as to
report to Dick Pardee what | had ascer-
tained about John Morgan's forces.
VOLUMINOUS REPORT.
/ soon found our boys, who were waiting
for me, and made what | now am quite
sure was a very animated and emphatic
statement of the situation as / then saw
it, including at the same time q full and
vOuminDuS opinion as to my estimate of
the mortal caliber of the "hair-pin" who
had ordered me to leave my horse and go
up the road to interview the enemy. |
am quite positive that some things | told
Pardee at that time never We're reported
TO regimental headquarters, else | would
have heard something of it. After cooling
off under the collar little fell in line
and we marched till after midnight before
we found our main column, when We too
went into camp, and waited until morning
hnf lr.h tiaa, ,f,Ia