The National tribune., 1900-03-22

Copyrighted, 1892 by the publishers of THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE
The Boys Find and Repair the Hole in the
| Tunnel.
ST and Shad Graham were so very tired
over their work of the night that they did
not wake, as they had planned, with the
dawn, but slept until the sun was well up
and raising a hot steam from the drencned
earth. Then they awoke, sat up, rubbed
their eyes, and looked around on the muddy
wreck in the interior of the tent.
Couldn't We been big cave-in. said
Graham, answering Sis questioning
glance, "or the rebels would've found ii
out before this, and been in here after u.s.
We'd've been in the stocks by this time,
| mourning over blasted hopes. You stay
in, and I'll so out and take careful look
| around"
| Stimulating a man drawn up with the
| scurVy, Graham hobbled out, turned ana
walked up to the space between the tent and
the dead-line, and took as long and care
| full a look as he dared at thespace between
the dead-line and the stockade. He could
see no tell-tae break in the ground. he
| walked on up into the crowd, where he
lost himself from view of the sentinels, but
presently came back for another look.
| Il can't see any break, nor do the guards
appear TO have noticed any" he reported to
81, when he re-entered the tent I'm
puzzled to know what happened
ST went out and scrItinized the place in
the same way, with equal lack of result.
There's one way we kin settle it." said
ST. desperately. after they had talked it
over. I'm goin' inside to take look
| there.
'It may be that they have found it out,
and are laying low for us" said Graham
doubtfully. Its pretty risky to go in
there yet awhile. Hadn't you better
| waltz"
NO; unless you're positive to the con-
trary, I'm goin' to strip off my clothes,
SOS to not git any mud on 'em, and crawl
| in there as far's kin go, and see what the
| trouble is. There aint no water comm out
now-at least only a little trickle,. Maybe
| if we struck spring we kin stop it up"
| AS this would end the suspense, Graham,
after little consideration. approved Of the
| plan, in spite of his misgivings that the
| rebels might have found the hole. and be
in waiting to shoot anybody who should
appear.
"Seems to me. though" he said, that If
anybody's to go in it ought to be /, for my
turn to work comes before yours, you
| know"
| NO" "said ST resolutely. Ifirst thought
of it, and I've the right to take the chances.
You kin watch, and pull me back if they
| shoot me-" De
| He stripped himself naked, piled his
clothes in one corner. and got down and
entered the hole, while Graham watched
with intense anxiety. In addition to the
risk of the rebels having discovered the
tunnel, there aas' fearful possibility that
the water had soIsoftened the bottom and
sides of the tunnel that they would cave and
| let down enough searth to imprison and
smother ST. IN
AS soon as he entered, 81 was covered
with the sticky red clay, but he crawled
resolutely forward. and at length saw a
little gimmmer of light in the distance.
He hesitated.. Were the rebels waiting
for him there's with a gun? It took more
nerve to go forward than had ever been
called for on the skirmish line. for it was
| frightful to be shot in a hole there, like a
rat or a woodchuck; but, as he expressed
it, Il couldn't git my own consent to crab
! back" and he crawied on, still more slowly.
as if the tunnel were miles long, and yet
| the air seemed plIrer on account of that
coming in from the hole.
AT last ne came up almost under the
hole. and saw that the in-rush had cut a
| crevice somewhat larger than his fist, and
had washed out quite little basin at the
| bottom OF the tunnel. in which stood pool
of water. He looked and listened as well
as he was able, with his face downward;
but hearing nor seeing anything suspici-
Gus, labortously turned over on his back for
| a better look Then he made out that the
tunnel had reached the ditch dug to set in
the timbers of the stockade, striking a little
] below the foot of the logs. When the
earth had been thrown back, after the
timbers had been SET it had been packed
in carelessly there, leaving a hollow
into which the water collected, and it was
this into which the tunnel had broken
1t took ST some time to make ont all
| this His first thought was of gladness
that the tunnel had reached that far, and
that its leval had been SO well planned as
to pass under the stockade. He care,
fuls: "inched along" until he could look uI
standing with his gun lying across the top
of the stockade, watching intenty some
| thing going on in the interior of the prison.
Apparently he had not noticed the crevice
at the foot of the timbers, or paid no at,
| tention to it, if he had, seeing nothing
different from the other crevices and clods
where the earth had been filled in.
ST began pondering what to do. II
would be convenience in some ways To
to leave the hole open. 1t would admit air
to that part of the tunnel, and enable them
| to work harder and faster But if left
open, it would not only let in the water in a
great stream every time it rained but il
| might carry the noise of their working to
the ears OF the guard. Besides, it might
be noticed by some of the rebels who daily
went the rounds inside of the dead-ine in
search of indications of tunnels. But to
close it up would be difficult task, especi-
ally in the day time. Anything moving
there would run great risk of attracting the
attention of the guard, or of the rebel in
spectors. Then, the look of the ground
around it must not be so changed as to
attract attention.
Before 81 could make up his mind what
to do, he felt his naked foot clutched. Then
he realized that he had been in so long
| that Graham had become alarmed at his
non-appearance, and crawled in after him.
ST gave a vigorous and impatient kick to
inform him that he was alive and all right,
and began to back out. AS he did So he
scraped and worked the muddy sides of the
tunnel into more symmetrical shape, and
widened it, bringing with him great wad
of clay.
Man, but l. was frightened" said Ora
ham, as 81 emerged, rolled the mass of wet
clay into the cahtral hole and sat upright
Il thought of everything; you'd got stuck,
was smothered; the rebels had pulled Won
out at the mu2zie of a gum had bayoneted
youin nthere-eyerything What made YOU
stay SO long? You ought've known
better" 4 4
In happier days afterward ST could never
recall without faughing the appearance the
two of them presented, as they sat there
in the steamipg, hot, reeking atmosphere
of the close teiif, Both were stark naked
, except for thick plaster of red mud, which
covered them from head to foot, matted
their hair, aid masked their faces. ey,
napt p,l,ara fltaIy had r,,bI,al ,,,,,,,