The National tribune., 1902-07-10

CavalrJ-Breakirs Out OF the Fire-Burn
ing of Columbia.
The fog which hung over Columbia an6
:. its environs ca the morning of Feb, II
1860. was so dense as to hardly admit oi
morning being visible.
II was so thick that 10 one could see
his length in any direction. The looming
city of Columbia. with its shaded streets
its SwarnIing people. and its towering walls
and sPrea-even the opposite bank of the
river. with its fringe of spiteful rifle pits
We're rs hidden and remote as if in another
State.
The river roarcd loudly in the angry
brawlins of its floods with the granite
reefs, 0bstructipG islets and ragged shores
1t gave everyone an uncanny feeling
for. for the first time since leaving Savau
nah, the morn was nowhere ushered III by
the crack of rifles and the crash of cannon.
The absence of these familiar sounds, add,
ed to the creepy feeling of men who could
no longer see their enemies, nor find oul
what they We're doing, though they were
confronting them, in readiness for mo,
mentouS battle.
The drums ratified and the flies footed
out their forcefully cheerful reveille. and
the voices of the Orderly Sergeants calling
the rolls came mufticd through the thick
haze.
Though Monty and the younger ones
Snored ont always required physical
force to arouse them-SI, Shorty. Tom.
Abe and Wash Lambert had their sleep
| out, and awoke ut the first scream of the
fife to take in the situation.
| Otterbein Kramer had risen even earlier,
had Il good fire burning, his filed kettles
about it, and was preparing breakfast.
Il suppose Columby's right over there,
| somewhere, Same's it was last night as
seyerated 81, after taking II good wash, in
I,,,
sufficiently to pe7etrate the fog. There 3
| been no contortion of Nature to yank the
old cradle of treason off anywhere, hope"
Wouldn't put it Il mite past the uncir-
cumciZed rebels" snorted Wash Lambert.
They're equal to anything"
We've come a full thousand miles for Il
coed whack at the birthplace of s;eces-
sion. continued 81. ''and we don't want it
to get away from as
| No, indeed" echoed Tom Radbone
vengefully That's the place where all
this deviltry was hatched. 1t mustn't es-
cape"
| IF it does. then there oughtn't to be
another splinter burnt in South Caroiiny,"
added Abe Grimstead. still more viciously.
That's the place where all these head
devils roost. There's where they've
plotted and schemed and started this MIR
dering, robbing and outraginG of better
men than themselves. There's the place
where we can hit those scCundrels the
hardest lick we've hit them yet for they've
got their homes+ there, and all their wealth.
If there's stick left unburned. or one
brick on another, it wont be my fanlt,
tell you. I'll willingly serve the United
States 10 years to- he let loose i'll that
place for one day. I'd make some one
sorry for all that We had to stand in the
past three years.
We unto thee Chorazin: and unto
thee, BPthsaisla; and unto thee, Caper
naHnI. which are exalted unto heaven. and
shall be brought down to hell" solemHly
intoned 0ttcrbein Kramer. The Lord
says, have seen thy rebellions. thy neigh
ngs. thy pride, thy covctonsRess, and thy
blood-,lrunkenness. and [ will cast down
thy high places and make them the abode
of the bat and the lair of the jaekai''
Exactly. just what Wen 10" agreed
Tom and Abe.
"CoIumby's over there all right as
serted Shorty. Not moved Il peg"
But whereT' demanded the puzzled 81.
Over where? 1t may be in this diree
tIOn or that. Ones Just as likely as
t'other. This is worse than hunting for Il
black cat in a dark cellar. As there are
- points 10 the compass, we've 81 chances
for going wrong for one going right
40, no, my frenZied youth; not 50 bad
as that. I've been too long on the Mis-
sissippi to be fooled ny bit of fog. The
Saluda River runs the same way that it
did last night. and it then run toward
Columby. The bow of our boat was point
ed down stream, and it still points that
way. and toward Columby. The roaring
of Broad River was between us and Co
lamby. and it's still over there"
Il believe you're right" admitted ST.
taking in these bearings.
"Of course I'm right. It'll be sorry
day for this army if ever Tn wrong
modestly conceded Shorty. "Old Billy
Sherman'd be lost in a day in these
swamps if it wasn't for me-
I'm glad | came from the Maumec,
where men don't run TO cheek like they do
on the Wabash snorted Wash Lambert
We'll, the main things to get over into
Columby as soon as possible" decided 81.
There's going to be Il dead rush at the
place all along the line just as soOn's it's
light enough to see. Every man in Sher
mans army is keen to be first into the
place, and there'll be a circus around here
such as you read about, in little while.
Wake up those cubs there, and have 'em
get their breakfast"
Easiest way to wake them up is for
somebody to fire a gum" said Shorty.
They'd sleep like logs through anything
else. I'd about as soon do Il half-,lay's
work as wake them. Lend me your mus
ket, Wash. l think l remember Just ex-
IL WIS l:lSE night.
and can aim close enough to let him know
we're taking down the shutters and begin
ming business for the day"
He took the gun, adjusted the sights,
studied for n moment to remember the |
bearings of the night before, aimed care
fully, and fired. The sleeping boys sprang
up Immediately, and reached for their ear
bines.
A shot came whstiing back, rods away |
Hes there with his knitting" remarked |
Shorty. Il seem to've come much nearer
him than he did us. That wcuid never
have stirred up us. Get ready for break
fast, boys. We're going over to Columby
as soon as the fog lifts''
Shortys shot was the signal for scatter
ing firing along both sides of the river, |
more to relieve the feelings of the shooters |
than in expectation of doing anything. |
During this the boys leisurely disposed of |
Il good breakfast.
THE fog's begun to lift little, but not |
much" remarked 81, as they finished |
Get everything ready for start. From
the noise, there's some heavy falls ont |
there, that we might be swept over or
we'd start now, and try to slip up unbe- I
bnownst on those fellows. That'd Dc our
trick" .5
AS near as l can make out frora the
noise, there's one big falls above, and |
bigger one below remarked ST, who had
been attentvely studying the situation
There may be rocks and ripples in be-
twcen.'
Are we in danger of heing cast awov