The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-12-06
& 81 k(eqq
n ~ as q
~. i Veteran
The Lorena at Last Gets Through the Mus
Gle Shoals
Copyrighted, 1899, by the publishers Of THE NATION
#lis as TRIBUNE.

Hiu 10 ne dragged from the Helu OF
Dattie, murmured Col. BoneSteel 10 Shad
as he passed him. Il wish you would pre-
| pare report To me of all these operations,
| and including that fact, together with the
one that, though l was severely wounded,
early in the engagement, l did not retire
from the field nor relinquish command, and
| That L was the last man to reach the boat"
Very good, SIR answered Shad, salut-
| ing.
If it hadn't been for the disgrace of
having an officer captured he wouldn't we
come aboard at all" remarked Shorty, hot
! ly. I'D like to have him learn some sense
in Libby Prison.
Come, now, Shorty" admonished 81,
the Colonel isn't so bad. He has his lit
| tie pecullarities, but he might be much
worse. He's stuck on himself and the
Engineers, but he's got the sand to back
up his stuck-upedness, which is a good
deal. And then he don't bother us much,
which is a heap. He lets us have our own
way, and what more could you ask"
That's true, ST. echoed Shad. There's
| whole lot Of man in the Colonel, when
you get through his West Pointism."
We'll, L guess we can all stand him till
we get to Chattynoogy," replied Shorty.
The Colonel reappeared. He had taken
off his uniform coat, and thrown his over
coat over his shoulders. His shirt-seeve
appeared soaked with blood. Il find am
worse hurt than | thought he said very
quietly, almost apologetically. I'm bleed
ing quite profusely. Lieutenant, in the
| absence of Surgeon l must ask you to do
little surgical duty. Take these cords
and wrap them tightly around my arm,
above and below the wound, to stop the
| flow of blood temporarily
why, Colonel" exclaimed Shad, after
moments examination, you are hurt
far worse than | dreamed. Come, go up
TO your room, and let me wash and dress
your wound. l know considerable about
the first things TO do in these cases, and |
can Fix you up to do until we get to Chat
tanooga and find Surgeon"
No. said the Colonel, with quiet firm
ness, quite different from his usual pOmp-
GUS dignity. 1T has reminded me that |
must have several men hurt much worse
than L am, and | should look after them
| before attending to myself. Do as | tell
you. so that L can go and look after them"
81, Shorty and the rest could only look
at each other in Open-mouthed astonish-
ment, at the unexpected phase of the Colo
nels character.
The Colonel passed on back to where
the wounded had been made as comfort
able as possible in the deck-hands' berths
behind the boiler.
All. Russell, whose knowledge of sur
gerry, slight as it was, exceeded that of
any of the others, had been put in charge
of the hospital" and was alternately
swelling with Importance as he thought of
his position, and displayed his skill in
cleansing, stanching the blood and bandag-
ing the slighter cases, and trembling with
anxiety AS to what he should do in the
more serious ones.
-Four of the six gathered there yielded
readily TO his limited skill, but the fifth
was grooming in agony over a dislocated
shoulder, and beads of sweat stood out on
Alf's brow as he fumbled over the man,
and tried one vain expedient after another
to lessen the pain.
Here. my man." said the Colonel gen
tly, and5it was the first time that Shorty
had ever heard him say my man. with
out internal anger Il think i can relieve
you. have seen cases like that before
One of you catch hold of him and hold
him firmly. Now, Corporal, grasp his arm
there, and pull strongly but steadily in
this direction
Shorty did as ordered, the man yelled,
but the bone slipped back into its socket,
to his intense relief.
Now, Acting Hospital Steward" said
the Colonel, with return of his old man
ner, put bandages around to hold his
shoulder in place, and keep them wet to
check the inflammation. Use hot water
frequently That is all that can be done"
One look at the sixth case showed that
he was past ali surgery. The best Sur
geon i'll the army would have been as fee
bic before him as young, inexperienced
Aft. He had been shot through the breast
and was dying from loss of blood that
could not and would not be stanched. He
was a recruit, brave and enthusiastic to
rashness. who had not needed Sis injunc-
tons TO keep under cover.
Ny poor boy said the Colonel, pity
ingly, you are dying"
The boy nodded his head in affirmation
Then his eyes frightened. But we stood
EN- off, and saved the boat all the same"
he WHISPERED,
Indeed we did" answered the Colonel
Men, you must make this man more com
Portable. There is entirely too much
draft and too much motion of the boat
here. Carry him up into the cabin, and
put him in one of those forward rooms by
the smokestacks, which are warm. Find
some bedclothes in the other rooms and
put on him, until he has enough to keep
him comfortably warm"
Colonel, he's bleeding so that he'll spoil
everything" ALI ventured to suggest
do as / tell you," roared the Colonel
Damn the bedclothes. Suppose he does
spoil them. The whole of them are not
worth one minute Of comfort for man
dying for his country. Do at once as
tell you
Queer how some pork biles,' muttered
81, in the Wabash yernacular, when the
Colonel had passed upstairs, to see that
his orders were strictly carried out. lie
was followed by ALT, to dress his own
wound, after this was done. Il never
dreamed that was in him.
''The COonel's n man all the way
through said Shorty, with an oath. Let
him Just put on all the friis he wants to. |
They become him. ] like man to put
on frills. Just let me hear any snoozer
cheep word against him.
How much further have we got to go
before we get ont o these internal shoalS?'
asked ST, looking apprehensively forward |
r., V-,npa hn rirnp hrnnIapnf on1 hn |
clear wafer was again broken by rocks, |
towhcads and islands.
About 10 miles" answered Shad. and |
the pilot and Jim cambridge says that the |
part up there around the mouth of Elk
River is the worst of all
More .cake-walliing around the capstan,
| suppose" groancd Shorty, looking mt the |
blsters Oh his large hands from the pre-
vious hard work with the "Spars." 81 feel |
that / could give points to II horse in Il
bark mill.' q
What I'm worried about is wood" said |
Shad Graham. I'VE are getting down to |
where our last stick is in sight, and there's |
no telling where. we'll get any more. The |
pilot says that. all the woodyards are on
the other side where the population seems |
much more numerous than kind and hos
pitable." ~
might taketon a load of that drift-wood |
over there" suggested Jake Dye
Wouldn't make steam i'll Tophet," said |
Sbad contemptuously. TOO water-soaked. |
Takes drift-wood two years to dry out, and |
this gets another soaking from the floods |
Won .nuII barJI,. -,