The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-19

Had Jceter gone? No: the sounds grew
and grew, and kept coming nearer. ard a
man rode up and shouted, Captain
Come" answered voice near me.
Cavalry and infantry are advancing"
Then look. to see q troublouS world."
Do you know that my first impulse was
to rise and go forward? Yet fear had
sickened me, and l hesitated. Moreover,
| knew that the first speaker was n
Southerner.
A whole corps. Our signal station at
Guiney's is in danger
Telling this TO Scranton? What was
Scranton!
Who hath deserted the number of TIE
foe""
What's that?'
''Who says there is whole corps?"
Il say so; | saw 'em myself Nobody
between us now"
l was slipping away. / must act quick
ly; l must get away quickly, or l should
not be able to act; in few minutes there
would be light too dangerous. Yet. rs
was going, | heard Scranton say. Hon
far away is this horde?' and the courier
! replied, Five miles yeti
As soon as | felt safe. | rose and ran
as hard as | could go back to Jeeter.
'Jeeter," l painted; get on your horse
] and ride as fast as he can go up the road
You will meet our cavalry. Make them
understand that they can capture this
| pan ~ tdHiIS. IL tHty WIZ. your tDlhalIg
up the road and showing them that it is
clear will make them ride hard
But suppose | get caught"
! Didn't you hear that man ride byT'
Yes"
Il heard him tell those men that there
was nobody out between them and the
corIS coming on the road.
| This speech gave Jceter wings. He
was mounting.
Il may not be just in this spot when
You get back said to him; IN look
round to see what can be seem
He looked at me as one looks Mt what
he thinks is peculiar; it was now between
dawn and sunrise.
don make any noise at first; 90 slow
till you're out of hearing, and then go like
the wind. III give you hundred dollars
if we cst.h those men. Keep in the woods
till you strike Il bend in the road
Jceter left me; | led my horse farther
into the forest. Would the men leave at
once: | thought not. Five miles is a
long distance in IL hostile country for cav
airy to feel their way.
Would Scranton put out no outpost
With this question l stopped. and tied my
horse; then | crept back to the road and
watched. There was no need for haste: |
possibly the runner who had brought the
news would be sent back on the road, but
not until he should have fed his horses
and got his breakfast.
The sun was rising. Where would
JCeter meet our men? How long would
they be in coming: Did the runners five
miles mean FIVE miles? If our men were
five mile; from this spot when hc last saw
then, they were less than that now. |
Jcetcr might meet thc;n in four miles
IN three. How long would il take picked
men to ride four miles? Half an hour
Less. In half an hour after .Icetcr reached
theLl or men might be here on the spot
A hnr L.,
| watch him. Distinctly he is a rebel
no; ne is not Il Confederate. He puzzles
me. He is dressed partly as Il ConfetI-
crate bat h. looks ike a-ah, | know
now; he is one of those very men who
tried to stop mc-wth Scranton-ncar
tea Is Il renegade. and was then III colil-
sion with these men. He wanted to put
me ont Of his way-on Lydia's account |
Is Lydia now in his power:
The nan slowly rode on by. | judged |
that hc WAS going forward as a vi!et |
followed, Keeping in the bushes. hut did
rot follow far; saw him stop, and take
his stand at the bend in TIE road. sitting
on his horse and facing north.
J went lack To my horse: then | moved
slowly around to the east south and
southeast, until | thought the ambulance
was toward the north. | remchcd II large
tree some 50 yards from the campfire:
hear the voices of the men at their work
The space was too open for me to get
nearer than this tree. The ambulance
now was at Il little greater distance from
the men, and its front was toward me.
but | could not see into IT, The horses
were feeding. There We're seven horses
all feeding. One of the horses was a
handsome l0ng-iimbed sorrcI-a superb
animal. | saw s'chcrZcr; ne was reclining
1t ;he root OF il trce--:loing nothing His;
clothing Was not that Of soldier. | saw
Scranton his clothing was Of 10 regular
fashi0r-half civilians, half uniform |
SAW h!ri take food and carry it to the am
!Hlance. and come away with it again.
And HOW did n thing which you will
say WIS impossible. | was sure that
Lydia WAS il ti!e ambulance. Never be-
fore or since have | had such restlessness.
| would have given everything on earth /.
20 lie able TO tell Lydia that help WAS
near. felt it beyond my power to leave
the spot, yet / left it. | backed away
from the place, and went to MY horse
again. / had determined to capture the
OUTPOST.
| felt sure that before Scranton moved
from this place he would call in this man.
Therefore, until | should see relief, or
a messenger coming for this yidct. / had /,
little fear that the renegadeS would leave
The sun was an hour high. If my hopes
were to be met, our cavalry would soon .
he here. would get III rear of the out {
post, and frighten him into Surrenderimg; !
then all the men behind me might be {
easily taken. | mounted and with the !
Enfield i'll my lap | started northward on
the road. | could see the man sitting on
his horse some 800 yards before me- New
the thought came to me. that perhaps it
would be better to let him alone; would
simply take my stand in his rear and wait
until he should be alarmed in his front:
then as he was riding back he would find
himself caught between two fires. and =
would surrender; if | should go forward
and endeavor to take him | might he too
early. 1t would be hard to keep him long.
our cavalry might be delayed. So when
was within 200 yards l halted; l was
in his rear, sitting on my horse just as
he was, and looking north just as he was
looking north. Something however
caused him to turn, and he saw me- He
waved his hand. reckoning to me to come =
up. Perhaps at the distance he could not :
tell me from one of his comrades. liz
moved on Il few yards, as if in compliance
with his wish, and halted again. He G
shouted to me TO come on. but | did not !
move. lie made violent gestures. mean e
ing to say | know not what-perhaps an
ger, or disgust at my apparent lack of
common sense, and turned again and
looked north A minute was precious.
Iiorscmen can ride far in minute. Per-
laps Scranton's party We're now saddling
heir horses. Perhaps Jeeter with hcInI
was now within a mile-within half j,