The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-07-26

even faultlcss commanding officer,
And the major
So the light dragons deserted the
broad though winding road leading 10
known places and bllndly followed
their commandnnt In his bee line cross
country trail.
II was prosaIc field and pasture rid.
Ing for the first few miles. Then came
trees so close together that II was dif.
ficult to tiDd passage wide enough for
man and beast. The column had to
| wriggle Its way along much after the
fashion of snake. Regions of rocky
! powders and impossible streams di-
verted them still further. Yet they
held onward right Justify and travelled
many miles, with occasional halts for
rest and refrcshment of chargers and
men. About midnight, as they waded
knee deep In muck, leading their worn
out steeds by the brides, striving to
cxtricate themselves from an apparent
ly interminable quagmlre (Which some
body had forgotten to show on the Of
fetal map, all the rank and file and
twelvethirtecnths of the officers made
up their minds that the commandant
| guide was Mt fault. He, however, con.
tinued calm and serene, with sublime
confidence in his new requirement.
| Early on the following morning, aft
.r as good nights repose as 1t was
| possible to obtain in a mosquito in
tested vale the squadron met new
trouble. The air became full of smoke
| a a Ia.
along with it sound of roaring and
cracking which set the poor beasts to
Qulvering and made the men impatient
Of delay. A forest fire evidently was
raging in the neighborhood and speed
ing In their direction. 1t was n poor
| place for human beings, mounted or
unmounted, to find themselves. Even
the major commanding deemed it ad
visable to change their course tenn
porarily, and they plugged along for
several hours in an opposite direction
to that from which the smoke seemed
to be coming. Nevertheless the fire
drew nearer, and with true pleasure
they emerged out upon promising
road.
(Which way now, sir?" asked the
senior captain, riding up to the COM
mandant and casting sleeps eyes at
the dusty thoroughfare, across which
the members of the squadron were
slowly urging their horses.
| PASS the word to halt, dismount
| and slacken girths for a short rest"
replied the major, "but don't let either
| of the trumpeters sound a call or III
strangle them"
| "Eh? What?" calculated the sub
ordinate.
I'm afraid that I've made con-
| founded mess of it," groanel the SUI
| perior.
"Oh, we're all right now. cried the
other checrfully. I'VE can make quick
time by sticking to this road, and it's
bound to bring us out somewhere"
What do we look likeW demanded
the major, with apparent irrelevancy.
"Er-I beg your pardon, sir" replied
the senior captain. opening his eyes in
astonishment at the question.
| What with faces and clothes
scratched and torn from brambles and
branches and plenty of dirt from SCOT
and mud caked all over horses and
men we are pretty tough looking lot
Of soldiers of the queen! More like
guerrillas or train robbers"
"Why, my dear fellow" began the
senior captain remonstratingly.
"Hushw interrupted the major com.
manding. Il think hear wheels COM
| ing along the road! Quick! Get the
men to cover! Everybody hide! We
must not be seen"
Thunderstruck at the incoherent
speeches of the commandant and be-
| ginning to suspect that his brain was
affected, the senior captain did not
make proper haste in executing the
strange order, especially as it struck
him that over a hundred troopers, with
saddles half off their sweating steeds.
could not find close ambush in hur
ry. So the bulk of the squadron was
on the road In plain view when the
mysterious cause of their comman-
dant's perturbation appeared at the
bend.
1t was rattletrap of a buggy
drawn by a similar specimen Of nag
and holding single individual, ap-
parently a well to do farmer.
At sight Of the soldiery the newcom-
er pulled the poor horse up on its
launches and without pausing for a
second glance turned his vehicle so
short that the off wheels went high off
the ground and, lashing cruelty at the
plunging quadruped, scurried out of
sight again as If fiends were after him.
"Now, we've done IT." growled the
major commanding. "At least I've
done it," he added in a semiapologetic
tone 'I've lost my way and brought
you over the border. We're in the
United States now."
"Hey" snorted the captain.
Eyes. and that fellow in the buggy
has gone off to report us to the author
tiles most likely" went on the other
gloomily. 81 suppose you can imagine
what that means. With all due defer
ence to the great republic, they are
mighty touchy about such things as
finding an armed body Of British SOL
diery on their territory. They're not
likely to listen to explanations for