The National tribune., 1900-11-01

1 ne news that they were to be deprived
of their engine carried dismay TO the boys
before Shorty could reach them to confirm
it, and call Shad Graham to the Colonel's
Office.
They We're too old soldier, not to keen
pretty good run of what was going on
at headquarters. Soldiers have their own
ways of getting at even the most careful
| ly-guarded military secrets, especially
| those that directly concern them.
| An idea struck 81, as was always liable
at times of an emergency. His was one
| of those slow moving minds that work
clearest and quickest in moments of great
| need.
Il was talking to one O. the Maumee
| Muskrats,' he interjected quietly to Shad,
Decide and Shorty, as soon as there was
an interval in the angry denunciation of
their luck, of interfering Generals, and of
| scared-to-death citizens, which rose from
| all lips. They're keeping it quiet as the
grave, but | got out o him that he came
down last night from Cincinnati on that
boat you see laying out there, with a lot
| 20 special ammunition for field batteries,
| which they're running through to Sher-
man, and which they think,ll do great
| things. They've got ii on Il steamboat be
| cause it's mighty ticklish stuff, and they
don't want it banging around on the cars
any more'n they can help. That's the rea-
son they're laying out there, where there
into 'em, and they're keeping it dead quiet
about they're being here for they don't
want any chance for these Knights o. the
Golden Circle to get on to them and blow
EN- up"
f'would be a great opportunity for
them sneaking hell-hounds," remarked
Decide.
You bet it'd be- continued 81. "They
want some more reliable men on the boat.
and the Maumee boy wanted US to go with
them but L told him we were going to
stick to Shad here
Right you WERE" said Shad "But
how in the world are they going to get that
ammunition to Sherman on that boat?"
why, they're going to run down the
Ohio to Paducah and up the Tennessee
River TO ChattanoOgy. There they'll load
it on the cars
Why. that's going clear around Robin
Hoods barn." eXpostulated Shad. They
wont get there before Christmas"
4 don't know about that" returned 81.
I've been studying it over, and | think
differently. The longest way round is the
shortest way home, sometimes That's
fast boat; she amt half loaded-you can
see she sets high up above the water, the
river Is running at pretty good stage just
now, and she can go right along, night and
day, without having to lay on side tracks
and wait for trains and burned bridges
and torn up track, and
That's So echoed the other boys.
And I'll chance their getting there
before them that go by rail. | vote in
favor of getting our pOntOon on that boat
and going with them, if it can be man
aged
You're right. It's our best play said
Shad decisively. 1T can be done, and it
shall be done. Go and hunt up that Mau-
NEE boy again, 81, and get all the points
you can out of him. Find out who's in
command of the boat, and where he gets
his orders, while | 60 up to headquarters
and work the Colonel. Wen manage it
all right"
81 started out in search of the Maumee
boy, and speedily came across him.
Say, Jake" said 81, we've been eu-
chered out of our locomotive, and we want
to 20 with you"
Good enough" answered Jake Dye, ju-
bilantly. Glad to hear it. Come right
along. | know you're the right stripe, and
Wen be mighty glad to have you along
As | told you before, we had to leave Gin
cnnati in such hurry that we came away
short-handed. We couldn't take anybody
and everybody; have to have men that we
know and can depend on. Just one spy or
stupid blunderer and away we go, boat
and all, in a holy minute, and worse than
all, Sherman'n lose his ammunition. So
the Captain sent me ashore here, as | told
YOU, W Stt IL Il tOuluH run dCTOSS some
boys that | knew among these returning
from furlOugh AID pick UP five or six good
ones to help out It's awful hard guard
duty-sO many places to watch and you've
got to watch so sharp every minute. But
it'll be a heap better than pounding over
those old railroads, sleeping three on top
of one another, and getting your grub as
you can. Well have hunks to sleep in, |
shelter from the rain, and the boats cook |
throws up good square meal three times |
a day, with live coffee, condensed milk |
soft bread and fresh beef, broled or roast |
ed-nary fried. OF course, we have a |
chance o being sent up into the clouds |
any minute. But if you go on the train |
the guerrillas may shoot you. or the train |
run off the track, and mash you so fiat |
they'll have to send you home in an en-
velOpe.'
That's all right" said 81, dismissing
that consideration as unworthy further
thought. ''All wars risky business, and |
one risk more or less don't matter. If my
time comes, it'll come just the same wheth-
or I'm on the boat or on the train. Don't |
you need more'n five or six men?"
We'll" answered Jake, well, we could
use 10 to advantage if they were of the
right kind. But they must be all A /, first
class"
III guarantee the men all right, but
| have 100 of them that | must take to the
ItBluleIl- anu we UluSI take DODLOOn
train with us. But you can easily take
that on your boat. Even with the pontoon
stuff it won't be much more'n half-loaded
The pOntoon's got to go through to Sher-
man just as much as the ammunition has.
He needs the pontOOns worse, if anything
than the ammunition. You ought to take
lis right along, without any more words
It's the right thing to do, and that's all
there is of it."
Il see that, clear as you do, and I'd do
it in a holy minute. But my Majors an
Ordnance Officer, and he hates the En-
gineers as only Regular officer can. He
thinks they're too stuck-up for anything,
and that the only really braiDy crowd in
The army are the Ordnance fellows. If it
wasn't for them the whole business'd go
10 smash. All the time they have to pull
everybody else back into the way they
should go. And he's got it in for your
Col. BOnesteel worse'n anybody else. Him
and old Bonesteel We cIawed at one an
other several times, and old Bonesteel's
got the better OF him. If they
were only volunteer officers there wouldn't 4:
De the least trouble in the world. They've
some common sense, and no matter how |
mad they might be at one another, they'd L
see the need of getting both the ammuni-
ion and the train through at once and t
hat there was no excuse for not taking
he best means at hand to do it. But these
Regulars II chew the rag over their dig