The National tribune., 1900-04-05
The First Day Out of the "Bu,l Pen"

4
| ciSlye act of once getting outside the stock
ade, that the boys had not given much time
| to formulating plan of action after they
| had gotten out. 1t was understood in a
general way that it would be best to sepa-
rate at once into small squads. and go by
| as many differentrou as possible. Shad
| Graham was possessed of the idea of follow
ing the creek down to the Flint River. and
then floating down the river to Appaiachi-
cola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. This
| route did not commend itself to Ike Decide,
| who felt that the best chance of reaching our
ships lay along the Atlantic Coast. about
Savannah and Charleston. 81 and Shorty
wanted to get back to Sherman. and were
| certain that once out they could make their
way back over the 120 miles that lay be-
| tween the prison and the army around
| Atlanta. So the division accomplished
| itself. OF the original Is engaged upon the
| tunnel, about One-half shared Shad Gra-
| hams views, and the rest sided with Ike
| Decide.
| After exultation over the fact that all of
| his squad had gotten ont. Sis next thoughts
We're as to what had become of those who
| had preceded him through the tunnel. He
raised his head carefully, and took long
| look. Through the darkness, only miti-
gated by the starlight, he could make out a
| line OF black objects which might be mis-
taken for logs and chunks. He noticed
| that the general direction OF them was
t'Nt'4h SDiAtIi, 'llfi ne
stood that Shad Graham was aiming to go
| around the hospital, and strike for the
southeast.
Hist. Hist" called ST in a penetrating
| whisper to those behind him. With that
| he raised on his hands and knees and be-
gan crawling in n long Semi-circle to the
| left and northeast, which would take him
| TO the creek running through the stockade.
| The rest understood and followed, crawling
slowly and carefully
Suddenly n shot rang out from the guard
who stood above the course of the tunnel.
| He began shouting Justify, as he rammed
down another cartridge:
| "Sargint o the Gyard, Post Numbeh %,
| Corporal o the Gyard, Post Numbeh %.
Shoot, yo' fellers along thar. Thar's a
hull passel @ Yankees out thar"
The guards to the right and left of No. 2S
| turned and fired. This aroused the prison.
| ers inside. A tumult Of yclls arose.
ST kept his nerve. His first thought was
to notice that none of the shots struck any
where's near. He glanced back over his
| shoulder, and saw a group of men running
in confusion away from the mouth of the
! tunnel, and then realized that the Third
| Corps boys had been followed by others,
who had been careless and attracted the
attention of the guard by noises, and by
standing up and walking off.
| There was a commOtiOn among the rebels
| The relief, which was Just coming around,
rushed to the scene of the trouble knocking
| down with their musketS a number OF
prisoners they met Some one lighted the
| piles of pine boJtghs. and they threw lurid
| light around. The guards around the
| north and east sides of the hospital began
| firing on such of Graham's party as. be-
coming stampeded. sprang up and ran for
| the shelter of the pine trees. The keeper of
| the bloodhounds came trotting up on his
mule, with his pack of dogs yelping and
| barking after him.
| ST jumped at the conclusion that the at
| tention Of the rebels would be distracted by
| Shad Graham's party, away off to the
! right, and the big squad that had come out
of the hole last, and there would therefore
| be n chance for him and his boys. The
ground sloped off sharply in his front to the
creek, and there was quite a growth of
willows along the margin which had been
| left standing as too far from the stockade
| to be of consequence. He sent Il stage
| whisper back 10 those behind him to keep
cool, crawl ahead, and by no means to rise
up.
1t was hard work for Pete and Sandy
and the other boys to obey, for the whole
country at that minute seemed full of saw
age, vicious dogs, whose barking rang
| through the night air, and who appeared to
| be in the act of leaping on them to fear tiem
| to pieces. Pete and Sandy did Jump jIp.
and snatch at clubs to defend themselves,
but Shorty clutched at Pete and jjerkcd him
down again, whispering with an oath that
the dogs were still back on the crest of the
| hilI and their baying directed at some one
else. ST gained the covert of the willows.
stood up, Strengthened ont his limbs for the
first time in hours of cramped effort, and
waited for the others. AS one after another
reached him he scanned him 10 make s,,re
of his identity, and drew a breath of relief
when he was assured that the whole seven
were present.
| h.
for some time yit,' he said to Shorty. as
they looked at the tumutuous scene on the
hill, lighted up by the haring pitch-pjne
fires. The guards We're yelling, Halt,
thar, YOU Yank," and firing into the dark
ness whenever they thought they saw
anything move. Ihl5 was as much to
| terrify the prisoners, rs in the hopes of
hitting anything. The dogs-hounds.
mastiffs, mongrels. and ours of low degree
were trailing off after Shad Graham,s
party, with vociferous barking and yelling.
mingled with the signals from their mas
ters cow horn trumpet. The rebels had
| made pitch-pine torches, and were examin-
ing the outlet of the tunnel and the ground
around it, while the 5000 prisoners inside
the "bui-pen" We're still yelling at the ton
Of their lungs, Just TO testify their interest
in whatever was going on, no matter what
it might be.
The main thing now" continued ST 0is
to git acrost the crick i'll short meter. and
Git away before the hounds come back and
take our trail. It's goin' to be skittish
work 2ittin' acrOst the cricb for Won 500
it's awful wide there, and in full view a.
the guards on the stockade. Mebbe them
fclers on the hill kin see it, too If we wtIZ
only acrost to them Wilers on the other
side we'd have = good show"
well" said ShOrty, there's nothing to
do but to git down and crawl through the
water, one at a time. II they sec us from
the stockade or the hill they'll think IFS
only a log or a saHdbar. Anyway. they
can't shoot us at this distance Them old
smooth-horc blunderbusses won't carry
this far. But the shootin' $ the smallest
| part It's being seen. I'll go first. and
show YOU the way. Pete, you folIer me
about a yard behind. Git down nat on
your stomach before you leave the shadder
o the willers, and don't you raise up until
you're in the willerS on the other side,
Mind, now."
| He followed his own directions. and
without making a single splash, nained
the other side. \ watcher would have
thought him only log lying crosswise +
the stream. ~
One after another they did the same.
From the willows on the other side they
surveyed the next step, and listened to the
awful racket kept up by the dogs
''They must be simply eatin' I'D Shad
Graham and Ike Decide and the rest o.
them, from the hullabaloo they're maxim. !"
said ST with shudder. But the longer
| they'ra there the better for rs Well haya