The National tribune., 1900-05-10

opening In the cedars, on little slope, to
count them, rest a few minutes, and con-
slider what to do next. He walked back,
put his hand ON each one to identify him,
and make sure, and at the rear found the
two Georgians, apparently soaked to the
bone, and shivering as If they had the
ague. He was too intent on other things
TO express his surprise, but went up to
Shorty and said:
81 guess we made right good piece,
after all. The rain, and the bushes, and
the crooked paths ratified me a good deal,
but got an idee o the way we ought to go
before we started, and | tried TO keep a
main course in that direction, and swing
around to it every time after we bore off.
But we don't seem TO be quite through yet.
There's some fires startin' up over there. "
q Just folered you after we got started"
replied Shorty. "1 knowed L could leave
the course to you, and | had enough to do
to look out after Pete. l was terribly
afraid we'd lose him in the shuttle But
| don't like the lay o them fires. | wish
that we was past 'em for good and ALL"
Hist. there's somebody right over there.
Keep very quiet, boys"
"Whar in blazes is that lazy niggeh o.
mine:" said rough voice proceeding from
point several rods away. wonder if
he's done washed away BY the freshet?
Small loss it he did. He's a-gittin' fatter'n
lazier every day. Nels, yo' scalawag,
whar on airth air yo'? Wake up, thar
Git chunk O. fat pine, and throw on the
fiah.. I'm about froze, an | can't see
nothin'. Wake up, thar. Stir yo'self,
afO' | done take a club ter yo'."
"Afo' Gawd, MasSa Cap'n, rs nigh done
drownded," whined a voice in reply. "Neb-
Der did see sich a rain afo' in all my bawhn
days. Ebery drap seemed bucketful,
an dey piled one right on top OBJ de udder.
Seemed like ole Noah's times was done
in No frx-ir' tor ,.ly
fiah. Cap'n. Fiah done beat out an
ebberything soaked"
"Captain!,' gasped 81. Eve was runnin'
right onto 'em."
Les slip up little Closer" said Shorty.
"Mebbe we can find out how the line runs. {"
They crawled through the cedars a rod
or two, and came to an opening in which
they could see moving figures and the dull
glow of a partially-drovned fire.
Find that thar AK, tell you, at wonst."
said the Captains voice, "and go over
thar and knock chunk o fat pine often
start up this fiah'
"Cap'n Cudlip, air that thar yo?' said
another voice, which Shorty at once recog-
nized as that of the Sergeant he had
knocked down.
Capt. Cudlip," gasped ST again. "Great
goodness. How did | ever git back here?o
Same blamed old gag" said Shorty
savagely. Men git lost and travel around
in a circle. If the rain'd kept up, wei
a run right square into 'em. But keep
quiet, and listen to what that buffers
goin' to say"
Yes. Sarjint," answered Capt. Cudlip.
What is hit?"
"Why, Cap'n, jest afo' the rain halted
and stopt gang that l couldn't tell nothin'
about. Thar seemed ter be quite passel
o theyuns, though. They said they uns
balnn upI for
claimed ter know yo', an Cunnel Whately,
an the feller who done the tallin' done
said he was Sarjint Klegg. l did MT
recolleck no sich Sarjint as that in yo'
company, and his voice sounded strange.
So tole him I'd done carry him right up
with him, On the way, Jest down thar,
they 'unS began Snappin' and Snarlin'.
an picked frIrse with me, an then all
jumped on me. an pounded me, an then
run away. l knocked several o. they 'uns
down afo' they got me, but they'u was
too many fer me, an liked ter have killed
me-"
'Thar's no man o. the name O. Klegg in
my company, and never was. Thar was
family o klaggs over on Alligator
Creek-one o them was onced sent ter the
Penitentiary fer hoss-stealing but l don't
know o none in this rijmint.
(Shorty here gave ST sly kick.)
Thar's none O. them in my company, nur
in the rijmint, as l know"
"Tell yo' what think, Cap'n," said the
Sergeant. ''Hit was a passel O. the sassy
no-account clay-eaters from the sand
hills, in Cap'n Staley's company, who's
bin maxim trouble ever since they jined
us. They'uns We bin outside stealin'
chickens an water-millions, an tryin' ter
blame hit on ter we'uns, an specially yo'
company. They orter be killed, every
last one O. they'uns."
think so?" said the Captain, flaming
up. We'll, yo' go right down thar an
git the reserve, an go out after them.
Bring 'em in, dead or alive. You'll likely
find 'em layin' up under a tree or shelter
somewhar. Don't be too tender with 'em.
Handle 'em as rough as yo' please. l
don't care if yo' break some of em in two.
But find 'em, an bring 'em in-that is,
bring what you leave of 'em. l shouldn't
wonder if you'd find 'em right down that
away. | thought heard somebody down
thar a leetle while ago"
Il wonder which way he's pintin', Si?"
whispered Shorty.
1T means move to us, any way" said
81, rising 10 start back. He's most likely to
come this way, and it's time for us to git,
and git lively, too"
AS they walked back to their squad
they could hear the Sergeant loudly calling
upon the reserves to fall.in quickly. His
voice came from few rods to Sis left, and
the noise made by the guards as they woke