The National tribune., 1900-11-01

you had no business" said Jake, irritably
Wont you never learn that these Regu-
| lars think it a guard-house offense for an
enlisted man to know anything that they
haven't told him. Keep a bride on that
tongue of yours after this, and let me do
the talking. Go back now, and find Shad
Graham, and see what he's been doing.
I'll meet you over there at your squad in
little while. Stay around there, SOS
can find you at once"
Shad Graham, as quickly as he could
get himself into the required neatness for
Il visit to headquarters, presented himself
at the ColonePs Office.
Lieutenant" said the Colonel, "the
General, by virtue of orders received from
Washington, has taken the responsibility
of depriying me of my locomotive, and it
will therefore be impossible for you to
start to-day or until some other arrange
ments can be made. 1t is simply damna-
bic the way these civilians and volunteers
interfere with the movements of the army.
They defeat everything, and bring the
country to the verge of ruin. They would
ruin it, sir, if it was not for the Regular
Army-the educated soldiers, sir. 1t is
simply damnable, sir; simply damnable."
rs it poSsibleT' answered Shad, with
proper show of indignation. This means,
then, that | shall carry out your former
plan of sending the pOntoOns forward by
water, anu look dTOulu lOT Il DOdL WHICH
will take them"
.Eh? What's that? Precisely. Pre-
cisely," said the Colonel, making a mo-
mentary effort TO recall when and where
he had ever spoken about adopting river
transportation. IF we had the time, it
would be the better way
Exactly as you said then. Colonel. and
it is truer now than then, with all this dis
turbance along the railroad. You thought
that a good, quick boat at this stage of
water could run around and clear up the
Tennessee to Chattanooga sooner than a
train could make it, with all the stops and
interferences it would meet"
This was a startfingly bold play, for the
COlonel's mind had been fixed solely on the
railroad. But Shad was nervy and deter
mined. 'The old snoozer couldn't more
than send me back to my regiment" he
explained to the boys afterward, ''and that
was where l wanted to CO."
You have probably noticed, Colonel"
continued Shad, that the transport Lo-
rena, once under your command, and prob
ably so yet, has just come in from Gin
cinnati, with a light load of ammunition,
bound for Chattanooga, by the way of the
Tennessee. | made SO bold as to think
that you might have sent for me to order
the pontoons put on her, carrying out your
former idea"
Something like that had occurred to
me-" said the Colonel, after a momnt's
pause. Gen. Sherman must have the
pontOOns before he can start. Everything
must bend to that"
THE men on the boat say that he must
have the ammunition before he can start"
Shad.
Damn their ammunition" exploded the
Colonel. Gen. Shermans got plenty of
stored all along his line. This is only |
some more of the Ordnance Bureaus |
fancy inventions, that they want him to |
experiment with, and which will likely |
kill more of our own men than it does reb- |
els. The Ordnance Bureau is always pa |
rading its wonderful new inventions, but |
it has not anything near so good as the |
old buck kand-ball we had in the Mexican |
War. If men want to fight they want |
to kill with, and the good, plain |
old Brown Bess that men fought real bat |
ties with for 200 years can't be beat. Ma |
poleon couldn't find anything better, and |
he was something of a soldier. Lieuten- |
ant, go and find out who is in command of |
the Lorena. I'll take her, and let them |
get their ammunition forward any way
they can. Hold on. Take this dispatch |
for Chief of Engineers, Washington:
AN locomotives impressed by General |
commanding district. Mine taken away.
Cannot start train. Must go forward to-
lay. Essential to Gen. Sherman. Trans
ne. HOMESTEAD, Colonel. "
Leaving the telegraph Office, after fl
ng the dispatch, Shad went over to the de-
achment, to see how things were going,
md found Jake Dye chuckling over the
'eceipt of a telegram informing Maj.
jrewet that instructions had been sent the
General commanding the District to place
he detachment of the 200th Ind. at his
disposal.
well, we have a fine mix-up," NUT
cred Shad. 1.-The Lord only knows how
his will turn out. The ColonePs as hot
ow as he can be. I'll have to hurry back
nd sit on his safety valve"
Here, Shad, take these along with :
ou, for the Colonel" called Jim Steel
ard from the Office, as Shad passed.
They'll make the old man boi'' s
The Colonel tore the envelopes open and {
cad. The first was from the Chief of '
Engineers, and said: Transport Lorena 7
laimed by Ordnance Bureau for import z
mt service. Will not give her up. Car't {
on find another transport? You must
tart pontoons today" 5
The other was from the General COM S
landing the District, and read: d
Pursuant to instructions from the War t
department. to me, you will turn over the v