The National tribune., 1901-06-27

and momentouS movement, and that the
2OOth Ind. became the tail-end of the brig
ade, yet 1t was compensated for by the
fun of the huge joke perpetrated upon
their old enemy-Gen. BragS-and the
army which had been hastily assembled to
defend Augusta.
AT the first streaks of light the rebels
had resumed their vigorous and noisy
chOpping along their whole line to cover
their front with infernally-entanglin
abatis.
As the light grew the boys looked with
a glee they had never felt before in con
templating such works, the long embank-
ments of freshy-turned earth, which mo-
| mentarily grew stronger from the lnceS-
SAINT stream of shovelfuls of earth coming
up from the bitches; the distractions ev-
| erywhere, the artilerymen working like
beavers to get their guns placed, the fever
iSh effort i'll every direction to get ready
| for the impending attack.
Go it, you condemned whangdoodles," )"
chuckled 81, as he munched his bread and
meat and slipped his coffee. Work the
daylights out o your tormented hides, you
seeds o perdition. It's the first time
ever enjoyed seeing you build them things,
and L like to see you racking your plaguey
bones, and wearing out your rotten car
kisses III building traps that we've no
mind to go into
Never did see such cussed fools as
rebels, anyhow" Shorty remarked sar-
donicaly. The oftener Uncle Billy fianks
| EN- the easier it seems to be, and the
| more certain they are that he aint a-going
to do it again. Most everybody else in
this neck of woods has long since found
! out that the thing that Billy Sherman
makes the most show OF going to do is the
thing that he has no idee of doing. But
punkin' headed rebel never drops on to
that"
They haint no more sense than Pete
BohannOn's old SOW" said 81. You know
Pete Bohannon's farm joins pap's on the
north, and he's got field of splendid bot
| tom corn land. Pete had an old SOW
| that was too cunning to live, and she'd
rather steal than have her feed given her
| She kept getting into his corn field in
| way that puzzled him, until one day he
| tracked her up, and found that there was
a big, crooked, hollow log, that he'd used
| for part of his fence, that she went
| through. he got at it and turned the log
| over SO that both ends was outside the
! held, and then he got off a little way and
watched her. Up she come, and crawled
! through the log, and Pete nearly bust with
| laughing when he saw the look she gave at
! finding herself on the same side of the
| fence that she was when she went in.
| But she was Il determined old beast, and
she knowed that she had got into the corn
| field by crawling through that log, and she
| turned around and went in again, and
| kept it up until she wore herself down to
skin and bone. Shed rather starve try
ing to steal corn than go with the rest of
| the hogs to the trough and get it in a re-
| spectacle way. That's the same way with
| these rebels."f
Good morning. Col. McGillicuddy," said
! the Brigadier-Genefal, coming up, with a
! look Of amusement on his face. Our
| friends over there on the hill are wonder
| fully industrious this morning, aren't they?
L always like to encourage industry, es-
| pecially when people are so harmleSsly
employed. They might be doing so much
| worse. We've an hour or two to spare,
while the trains are getting well out of
the way, and L propose to put in the time
tlemen. The battery has some
shells that they're doubtful about,
and I'm going to let them try them
| on those works. I've sent the 1st Osh-
kosh about mile over there to the right,
| to make noisy reconnaissance, and |
want you to do the same with your regI-
ment out there in front. Make all the
noise and bluster that you can, but don't
get anybody hurt"
That salient out there" answered the
ColoLel, pointing to a projection in the
| rebel lines toward the left, ''is where had
supposed the main assault would be de-
livered. The rebels seem to think sO too,
LiOli lhC way lHtJ It 10 cover
with abatis. | think I'll go through some
of the motions I'd thought out in case l
had the honor to lead the assault"
Very good" said the General "I'll tell
the battery to pitch few shells over there
as guaranty of good faith. Don't push
your men too far; keep them well under
cover. We don't want to lose apy of
them in this fooling."
"Serg't Klegg." said the Colonel, 'do
you see where that tongue of brush runs
down the hill, away over there to the
| left?
Yes, SIR
well, take your squad over there, and
get as near those abatis-builders as YOU
safely can, and raise all the particular
thunder that your tempestuous disposition
inclines to, so long as you don't get any
of your men hurt. I'll amuse them from
this flank"
The 200th Ind. had run up against so
many abatis, and barticui...y .hat in front
of Kenesaw, that there was yengefuIness
in Sis heart against the builders of the
internal contrivauce. He got all his boys
well under cover behind logs, trees and
piled-up chunks, at the edge of the brush
within good though long range of the
choppers and pliers, and then they all be-
gan murderOuS sharpshooting on the abatis
builders. The rebels stopped chopping and
ran back to the cover of the works. A
man near the lower edge of the abatis.
who had been struck down by Shorty's
bullet, arose and tried to hobble after
them, and then fell again. 81 ordered the
rest to stop firing, and going to the front
shouted: -l-
Say, you fellers!' Come out and get
that man. We won't shoot. But get him
in quick. We're going to salivate you
condemned galoots, for the Lords sake"
A couple Of rebels sprang over the
works, and hastily carried the man back
and as soon as they gained cover the
whole squad fired again, and were an
swered by crashing voley from the
200th Ind. on the other flank The rebels
manned the works and began replying.
A rebel cannon sent shell over into the
woods where 81 was, and then the Union
battery crashed volley into the salient.
'.Why, there's nothin' the matter with
those Shells" said 81, watching the dirt
and logs fly. What was the General
talking about? Nothing doubtful about
them"
The other regiments were now at work
with tearing volleys, and the rebels were
swarming into their works, to repulse the
threatened assault.
An idea occurred to 81. From the foot
of the hill, from their coverts. 81 and his
squad kept up steady fire, aiming delib-
erately, and producing visible connections
in the gathering mass which led them to
believe that their shots were taking effect.
But presently 81 noticed something