The National tribune., 1901-04-18

Alf repeated the verse, and Uncle
! Ephraim joined this time in the chorus
with unusual JUNCTION.
All the prisoners were quiet, now, and
| listening, with a new light shining in theil
eyes. When Alf finished the last verse
$50 we're springing to the call, from the
East and from the West,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
And then wen hurl the rebel crew from
the land that we love best,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom"
They attempted, with feeble lungs, with
wasted throats, and with scuryy- distorted
mouths to join in the booming chorus
filling the cavern with new and strange
volume Of harmony.
They're all right now" said 81, in q
tone of satisfaction. "Alf, l guess they
can stand little more to eat, now. Being
so hungry makes 'em likelier to go crazy.
Better have Uncle Ephraim fix 'em up
some light skillagalee thatll set on their
stomacis. And, Uncle Ephraim, you'd
better get all the cups together, and make
coffee for all Of US. I'm beginning to feel
like a snack myself"
"Whar in de libbin' worp will l git de
| waterP gasped Uncle Ephraim, looking
at the roaring wall of flame between him
and the creek.
20, look around back there a little
ways" answered ST, ''and you'll likely
find fine spring. There generally is one
In these bigscayes."
Uncle Ehpraim's fear of the "sperits'
and 'harnts' was subsiding somewhat,
under the influence Of his companions con-
temptuous Indifference to these eVer-pres-
ent terrors to the negroes and poor whites,
but Alf had to go ahead of him with a
fat-pine torch before he would venture far
back into the darkness. Following the
-, Nhnr.
to a fine, crystal spring, but Uncle
Ephraim was too nervous to examine it
Carefully keeping Alf between him and
inky blackness~ beyond, he hastily
filed all his cups, and toddled off in q
hurry toward the welcome light in the
front. Nor could ALI persuade him to &c
back to the spring alone after more water
Si and the rest made q good dinner of
the contents of their hnversacks, giving
the two dcserters and the four rebel
prisoners a fair share. Though Steve
Bigler begged hard for more, 81 thought
it wisest to cOnfne him to q half-cup of
coffee, a single hardtack, and a small
piece of lean meat, lightly brOiled.
The fire in front was losing its fierce
ness, and subsding into 4 great bed of
embers. Though ST believed that the
rebels had left in obedience to the impera-
tive bugle-call, he was disturbed by hear
ing continuous chopping, apparently from
the hill over the cave, and from time to
time fresh logs had fallen over to feed the
fire.
mighty poor axman doing that chop
ping" ST commented, with his customary
judicial opinion of that class Of work.
'"Taint even good niger chopping"
Presently a dead pine fell lengthwise
over the cliff, with its top in the creek,
and the flames greedily ran along it. The
sound of the chopping ceased, and no
more chunks came down.
Pete Skidmore, who had all along wor-
ried more over the fate of Abednego than
anything else, was crazy to get out and
see If his steed had escaped roasting.
With their poles 81 and Shorty began
pushing forward the fire, so as to clear q
way through it. But the rocks had be-
come so hot that 1t was hard work, and
they made little progress.
81 ordered Uncle Ephraim to take the
bootleg bucket and go back to the spring
for water, but, obedient as that colored
gentleman usually was, nothing would in
duce him to go back there alone.
Pete, however, jumped at the sugges-
ton. To the right Of the entrance, as
they looked out, there had been much less
fire than elsewhere. The shape Of the
oYerhanging rock protected it, a soggy
stump had been rolled down, which re-
fused 70 take fire, and there had little
stuff fallen around. Pete came back with
the bootleg full of water, which he used
judiciously on the embers, and then showed
them forward. He worked industriously
and perspiringly at this until he had made
a hole through which he could hope to
rush out with nothing worse than severe
scorching. With another bootleg of water.
Sandy -drenched him from head to foot,
and he made q bolt.
He was nalf- blinded by the smoke and
the heat, and it seemed as if his skin was
cracking all over him, but he finally
gained tho open air, and crawled cautious
ly up on a rock to take a look around.
He had TO rub off his singed eye-iashes
before he could see anything. The first
thing he saw was that the hill above the
cave was all on fire. The flames running
up the dead pine which they had heard
cut down, and which fell lengthwise, with
its top in the creek, had fred the stuff on