The National tribune., 1901-06-27

with plenty of warm corn bread and fresh
bacon, with butter and cow-pea coffee.
The old ''auntie" explained that it was a
long time since they had tasted regular
genewin-for-sure coffee, not since befo'
| the wah."
How do you make the pea coffee,
auntie?" l asked.
I'VE parch de pea fust, sab, den put
in the mortar and pound it up, and arter
dat, we puts it in de coffee biler wild water
and biles it about half hour, lets it Stand
some to settle, and den it is ready to be
served, sab; but rs powful fraid dis yer
is not berry good, kase it only billed about
10 minutes"
We assured her it was excellent, and 1
have no hesitancy in saying ! have drank
worse coffee many times and from the
'regular-genewinefor-sure" berry.
By the time we had finished orr meal
it was dark, and with considerable mis-
giving as to our ability TO find our way to
camp, we prepared to start.
1t was at least seven miles to Nick-a-
Jack Cave by the way we had come, but
the cOlored woman said that by taking
road which led over spur of the noun
tain extending down into the cove, we
could cut off two miles.
Dis will take you to massa Green's
plantation, which is close by de cave and
WA opc1L dc oUgtIS Is
Bidding our kind hostess good-by. we
took the road indicated.
we were not long on our way until it
grew pitch dark; as it had rained a short
time before the road was muddy and full
OF puddies, which one or the other of us
was eternaly getting into.
The moon did not rise early enough to
do us any good, and the light from the
stars was shut off by the dense foliage of
the trees that lined either side of the road.
Take it alt together it was about the
worst nights travelling / had experienced.
When we had gone about three miles
Miller stopped and said he saw a light
ahead. looked, and so did Ollie. but we
saw nothing, and started on. We had
proceeded but a short distance, however,
when. we all saw a faint glimmer ahead
of us. We soon came to n fence, and close
by the road saw the log cabin from which
the light came struggling through an open-
ing between the logs where the 'chinks"
had fallen out.
we halted moment, and could hear
merry peals Of laughter coming from with
in. While we were debating whether to
go IN or continue on our way, we heard
the noise Of horses close by, and on going
to them, found they were tied to the fence,
and had on military saddles and other
trappings, showing that their riders were
the boys to remain where they were, /
cautiously approached the cabin, and
peering through the "chnk" hole into the
room, beheld seated around a table two
young, ladies-and they were roguishIy
pretty too-and couple Of rebel soldiers
eating sweet-cakes out of pan which sat
on the table before them
| slipped back TO the boys and reported
what | had seen. We then and there
made up our minds that we would have
some of the fun ourselves. 1t seemed a
pity to disturb the JOhnnies, but as every
thing was fair in love and war they had
to go.
The horses were taken some distance
down the road and tied to trees III the
edge of the woods, where we could get
them when wanted We then slipped up
close to the house, Baker and taking our
station at two corners of the cabin, while
Henry Miller went to the door, and at a
given signal fired through it into the
house, being careful TO direct his shot high
enough not to hit any of the inmates.
1t was our purpose only to scare the
Johnnies away and not to either kill or
capture them. When Henry fired he
sprang back and we raised yell loud
enough to have taken the roof from the
cabin, had the vibrations been concen-
trated at one point A second or two after
the discharge of the gun the door was
jerked open and the two Johnnies Jumped
out, firing their revolYers as they broke
for the road where they had left their
horses, with Baker and myself after them.
yelling and firing over their heads. Find,
ing their horses gone, they struck for the
woods, making the brush crack as they
ran butung up against trees in their eager
haste to escape the Yankee army, which
they no doubt thought was after them,
We followed them far enough to make
sure they would not return, and then