The National tribune., 1900-04-12

stop my wanderings and wait the coming
day. Ny senses were alert to catch a
sound OF the bugles ard get the direction OF
camp, but listened III vain for their cheering
blasts. AS the sun began TO glimmer
through the tree tops, made an inyestiga-
ton, and determined the direction | was
going when ] decided to stop. Then re
placing my Saddle-blanlse. and tightening
the girth l struck out in the opposite di-
rection.
Finding an abundance of young pines
along the way, gathered as large bundle
saddle, for that was what | went after.
Not long after securing the boughs | came
to a break in the hills and looked down Il
steep bank, almost perpendicular. Find
ing no other way out, | dismouuted, and
leading my horse began the descent. By
taking ZigZag course, sometimes sliding
and sometimes rolling, we suddenly
bounced into small picket-pos: at small
creek at the base of the bluff Which
OF us, the picliets or myself, were the worst
scared was u question open for discussion,
but l found my voice in due time, and
seeing they were Union soldiers, asked if
they knew whore the 13t Wis. Cav. was.
! T-Iey said there was some cava!cy camDed
about four miles up the road, and ] Was
soon headed that way In Il short time |
reached camp, aud going diT"ctly to the
Co.orcHs tent, salu.ei. ;ind said: Colonel,
Laughiugly he said: We'll. Mat, YOU
are the Only one that got what you We're
sent for, but you have given US u bad
scare. Here comes a detail ordered TO go
and LOOK for you"
Then IS a detail of 30 men appeared
and reported, he dismissed them, and they
went back 10 quarters. That w1s one Of
the nights Of my life long to be remembered.
Through its long vigils, without single
star to-leiid a gieam of hope, the night
settled around me in a darkness / could
| almost feel with my fir,8ers. Cold and
| danger was forgotten, and in its silent
watches. with thoughts of home and friends
| so far away, my life was lived over and
over, and thoughts of will / ever see them
again haunted my waking hours and was
! the theme Of my troubled dreams. | pre-
sumo II was responsible for some of the
gray hairs that soon after began TO appear
on my young head
While | was eating breakfast, Byron
and Jim came 10 see me and told how badly
| they were worried when hey learned of my
disappearance. So much was told of the
eommotion caused in camp when Serg't
! ONeil and his Ordcrlies returned to camp
without me, and how they had searched
! and shouted for me before they gave up.
| that ! began to think | was OF some i'm
| portance.
After quite a stay in this bountiful valley
and rccuperating our horses with rest and
! p.enty of feed, we were again on the march
| headed for Pilot Knob. Col. LaGranpe
| had chosen me for his special Orderly after
| ! brought him his pine boughs, and | was
not far away from him again while he was
with the regiment. AT the end of the
second days march he was appriscd OF
| MarmadtIkc'S movements about Spring
| field, and warned to be on guard against
| Il move on the part Of that willy rebel com
mandcr towards our base at Cape Girardeau
A reconnaissance was determined upon TO
ascertain the whereabouts of his army
The Colonel picked 30 men for escort,
| including his Dugler and myself, and we
got off about s o'clock that night.
The Colonel rodea large, powerful black,
stallion, and set us lively pace as nothing
seemed TO suit him quite SO well as a whirl-
wind dash. We We're all well mounted
and stripped Of all except side arms and
| ammunition, for the Colonel had ntimated
| there WAS work ahead Of us. | knew there
| waS whenever lie went on a jaunt, and
might as well say right here that in all
my rough riding during my service he was,
the worst man 10 follow | ever saw.
A HEADLoNG RIDE.
| Our general course lay northwest. but
! in the flint hills we traversed am sure we
| boxed the compass on our outward trip.
, The first night was uncventful further
than an occasional dismount TO pick up
heafgear knocked off by low hanging tree
limbs, but a little after daylight we ran
on TO rebel pickcts. They fired one shot
:. and dashed into the woods; and our next
four miles along that road was wild race
as we left them alone III their glory, for just
then picketS were not what we wanted
| This experience was often repeated and
we were lucky enough not TO encounter any.
rebel force large enough TO seriously i'm
pede progress by compelling us to fght,
nor were amy of the party hit, though many
hot Il
and lowering, a drizzling rain falling,
when, after rounding the point of hill,
we saw, a little TO the left and about five
miles ahead, long rows Of campfires re-