The National tribune., 1900-02-08
The Boys Learn More of the Ways of Ander-
sonville and Have an Encounter with Capt.
Wir1


they proceeded actively with their house
building, as soon as they had devoured the
| coarse cornbread drawn for ratIons. Ihe
moon came up brightly, so that they could
continue their work after night.
They first planted, on each corner OF the
side fronting the street. strong poles about
as tall as Shorty. These they united by a
cross piece, tied with withes. At the
corners on the rear side they set poles about
| three feet high, and fastened them similarly
| Then at the ends they sloped other stout
poles from front TO rear. and on these fas-
tened poles for Joists. [ pon these they
laid smooth thatch of the tufts of the long
leaved pine. This was careful, tedious;
work, but when finished it made a roof
which would turn water almost as well as
the canvas of a tent.
| 1t took them until long past midnight to
accomplish this. One of them sat inside
all the time, and directed the matching
until the last crevice was closed through
| which CLINT Of moonlight appeared
Rapidly learning the ways OF the place,
| they carefully gathered up every chip and
splinter of the wood, and stored it in one
corner for use in cooking their food.
| That's fine job as fur as it goes, said
! 81. as he rested and surveyed the erection.
It'll shed off anything comm straight
down, and the most comm from the east.
But We've got TO git some sides to it, SOS TO
shelter us from the north, south and west.
Anything that comes on slant II git us,
sure"
YES" acccded Shorty; "and we ought to
| have side walls to protect our things from
gents with light fingers. Our goods and
cilatteiS are entirely too handy to 'em now
| am willin' TO do all the heavy, able-bodied
stealth for this squad, but | can't fake for
| the entire camp, and | object to haVin
what Eve brung in durin' the day snaked
out at night by culsses who're too lazy or
IN oft do ntTh for
themselves from the Johnnies. If we have
a back and sides to our house we kin man
age to watch the front"
We'll, We've used up all our stuff for the
roof" said 81. Eve must try 10 git out to-
morrow for more. Meanwhile we've got to
again as they did last night. ALI Russell,
you've done the least work. You'll take
the first relief, and stay awake until that
guard there calls out 3 o'clock, when you'll
wake Gid Mackall, who'll watch till )
o'clock, when he'll waken us ALL"
In order to keep the guards in the little
perches around the stockade awake and
attentive to duty, the rebels adopted the
plan of making them call out every half
hour after dark This began down near
the creek by the Officer Of the Guard direct
ing the sentry there to call out Post num-
Der Is o'clock. and all's we'll" This
was taken up in the order of their numbers
DS ttiCll one, NIIllc tHt oUlcer Oh the ~ uaTu
listened for any unlucky sleeper who
should fail TO promptly take up the cry.
Post No: was that Immediately in front
of where the squad was, and the boys had
become familiar with the long drawn, wall
ing cry with which the sentry there an
nounced the passage of the half-hours of
the night. AS long as the prisoners We're
awake each one Of these cries was the signal
for chorus of profane remarks vilely in
sultlng to the sentry personally and to
those associated with and over I'm. to his
people, and the cause for which he was
fighting, and anything else that any
prisoner could think'of as likely 10 hurt
guards feelings and make him under
stand that he was blot on humanity. 1t
was howl of impotent rage, the only re-
lief that the poor, tortured prisoners could
find in their misery.
At first Shorty had sneered at the sense
less exhibition of temper by the prisoners,
and tried to reason with them that the brat
of a boy up there with gun was not to
blame, but those who placed him there.
But as the bitter misery of the place ground
itself in on him, and he realized the wanton-
ness of the horrors inflicted, and their
senselessness for any military object, he
lOathed with an inexpressible adherence
anything that bore the rebel brand, and
soon his voice became loud in the chorus of
contumely Showered upon the guards.
In the field he had had at times frequent
fiushes of pity for the fate of men who
were deluded with the idea that they were
fighting for their homes and liberties, but
there could be no room for such sentiment
in his heart toward little, venomous beasts
of Reserves, who shot down unarmed and
helpless prisoners, under the most shadow
preteXts.
There's good deal O. talk O. gangs O.
New York toughs down there" 81 warned
the squad, "who make practice of raiding
the new prisoners, and takin' whatever they
may have. They may try to git away with
our house. ALI, you and Gid want to keep
mighty sharp lookout for any suspicious
squads comm up this way, and wake us
up. Each o you boys git good club, and
have it by your side, ready for USE"
Yes" continued Shorty, picking out
good-sized stick for club, and taking out
his knife to shave a handle on it. Ike
Deeble told me that them New York gangs
last night raided that big squad o. Army O.
the Potomac prisoners that come in in the
afternoon, and took away from them
heap o blankets, money, silver watches,
and sich things, and beat one or two men to
death. We want TO make it mighty hot for
them II they try to jump us. Keep your eye
peeled, boys"
They all lay down on their blanket, ex-
cept ALI Russell, who after sitting down
awhile, concluded that he would pace up
and down the little street, guard fashion, in
oIuti W Keep dWdhe. nc iltu 10 quickly
desist, when he found the universal sls-
picion Volubly expressed from the tents
from one end of his beat to the other, as to
his purposes.
Here, you blamed sneak" yelled they
with one accord, as his footsteps aroused
them, what are you tryin' to steal? Git
back TO your own place and lay down. Git
out of here before club the head often you.
Git, l say" ~
AS Alf had beesi a worker in the Sunday
school at home, and sweet singer in the
church choir, these aspersions on his char
acter wounded him deeply. He tried to
reason with his slanderers.
Why, boys" he pleaded, "'taint right to
talk to me that way. l never stole any
thing in my life. / aint that kind of a boy.
| belong TO church at home. I'm only |
walking up and down 10 keep awake"
This was met with deep derision
Just listen To him lie. Night-walker
like that pretendin' to belong to church. |
Worst kind of thief, Look out for your
your hole, you rat before we knock your
head off"
But, boys'- pleaded Alf |
"Will you shet up and git out?" said a |
shaggy, stalwart boy, springing out of his |
tent with a club I'M his hand. I'll learn YOU |
sneaks to come around here. grabbin' our |
things. j believe you're the feller that got |
away with our skillet, night before last. |
If you aint you've done something else iist |
as mean, and I'll give you welting on
general principles.
A score of others, awakened by the alter
cation. sprang out of their tents, club in |
hand TO assist in the punishment, or resist |
any one who might come to the rescue.