The National tribune., 1900-04-26

an hoss him up hyah. We must git 'em
all up close, afo' we start acrost this ford,
or Wen lose half of 'em in gittin' over"
81 can't go back, Loot, you know, fer
I've got ter look after this galoot Of a Grub
wood. who's slipperier'n an eel. das-
sent let him git outen my reach fer min
nit"
90, don't mind me-, said Hez Grub
wood, cheerfully. "Yo' needn't bother
about lue at all. I'll go right along with
out watchin'. I've done bin wantin' ter
go inter the army ever sence the war be-
gun, but couldn't git thar. Suthin' was
alters happenin' ter keep me out. Some
times my ole woman was aIlIn', and some
times my chin wuz Sick an sometimes
didn't have no meat in the house, or had
ter put in my crap. AS | done tole yo'
when yo' come up ter me, | was jist then
on my way ter jine the army, an lOokin'
fer an ossifer, but yo' wouldn't be-
lieve me"
Damned likely" sneered Bob Pringle.
"YU' done acted monty queer fer man
who was dyire' ter git chance ter enlist.
Thcy'uns said yO' did mt stop runnln
till a bullet cut a lock o. ha'r of alongside
% yer haid. When | onct git yo' up in the
lines around Atlanta. I'll tend ter yo'."
Say, Mister Captain" pleaded another
If the victims. "Yo' haint a-gwine ter
make us march no more, air yo'? Ideclare
ter Goramighty I'll jestdrap in my tracks.
if / done have ter go another rod. ! halnt
bin good at wdlkin' senCe I had that awful
fall last Winter, which shook all my in
nards Outen place. An | know sho', that
can't wade through that thar water.
Whenever | git my feet wet, Init alters
tangles up my melt with my kidneys so
that jist suffer orful. Indeed hit do"
The ice Of an old swamp-snipe Ike
YOU, Abe Sawyer, a-talkin' that-a-way.
said Bob Pringln, scornfully. "They do
tell me that yo' kin run down any razor
Iu4l- hHrr IN fhaCa r1qFtg thTgrIDD n
these sWampS, give him 10 rods start, an
ketgh him every time. No. Sir-r-r-e-e.
YO'n jst pad right along acrost this swamp,
an acrost the Ocmulgee River. Hol GIT
no rest ontwell I've done got yo' aboard
the kears. pintin' fer Macon. We'uns We
got ter mosey right peart ter git over thar
in time ter ketch that train, which comes
along a little arter daybreak. By this
time ter-morrer night | expects ter have
yo' in camp at Atlanty."
"Say, / smell bacon an collards round
hvah powerful strong" said Xcke Simpson.
/ done believe that Tony Lambert drove
that we've bin arter so often, is layin over
thar in the swamp. and We bin cookin'
supper. Some O them wuz seen up around
hyah day or 50 ago"
He got down off his horse. and shifted
around a little. MY, but hits strong"
had been left. Hit seems ter come from
right in thar. | do believe that if we'd
folIer that smell we'd come right onto 'em.
Hadn't we better?
He took step or TO toward the open
ing made by ST when he entered the brush.
1t seemed as if he were coming right in
among them.
"If only one comes I'll throttle him,
before he kin make sound" whispered
ST, passing over his gun to Shorty. 'lf
they all start in you'd better shoot into
'em. while I'm chokin' the first feiier."
lilo hit - cai1
Bob Pringle, shifting the air. But |
don't reckon we'd better. My orders's
Strick ter be at the Cochran Station ter
morrer mornin' by sun-up. We can't
lose a minnit if we do. Besides, we've done
got all now that we kin gyard, an we'd
road anywhar. Mount, git the squad
together. an push on. We can't stop
| here no longer"
Zeke Simpson turned from the brush,
put his foot in the Stirrup, and started to
swing into the saddle. But his tired horse
| three of his tired feet. Zeke threw him off
| balance, and he fell, knocking over Bob
| Pringle's horse and another.
| Hez Grubwood was so overcome by the
accident, that he forgot his recent zeal 10
enter the rebel army, and few impulsive
| steps carried him into the brush on the
opposite side from where ST and the rest
were hidden. Gabe Boneset's rheumatism
seemed to miraculously disappear, and
Il shot from Sol Hufty indicated that Gabe
had broken away and was running.
"Too dsorderly Il crowd for honest men
| to associate with, remarked Shorty. THE
further away we kin git the better. Les
shah out"
Taking Pete by the hand, he led the way
into the swamp and across to the other side
of the creek.
Don't bear too fur away from the road,
sz,il of thaNr n nd
distance. "Pve got an idee The safest
thing. as well as the best that we kin do,
is TO fall in behind them feilers, and march
after 'em. They're goin' the way we
want to, and by the best road. BY follerin'
right after, purtendin' to belong to 'em, we
kin fool the dogs, citizens and patrols, and
pass the guards, at least until it's light
enough to lot 'em see who we are"
"Si," said Shorty, looking on his partner
admiringly, "When they were given out
heads you priered one that belonged to
n Member o Congress. | cont see how
the United States ever got g on for. S13 n
month. You ought to be IN Washington
drawing mileage and sttndin' in with
contractors. That's great idee. But
we've got to play it carefully. Wen
circle around to the left, and come back
to the road about the time them fellers
there have pulled themselves together
again and go on. Then We'll drop
rightin behind 'em. Whata man that pard-
ner o mine is to hatch out cute idees."
They worked their way over toward the
road, and heard the conscripters splashing