The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-26

Lambert spelling the rest They were
getting along quite WELL when Harry JOS
| Ign. at the steering sweep. threw them all
! to the deck. and some almost overheard,
/ by an ambitious but jerky attempt to
throw the boat out into the current.
Say, Harry said Shorty. gathering
, himself and the blanket up, IF you can't
hold the wheel steadier than that, I'll
reduce you to wood-passer."
If yOu fellers had only stood up, as
you ought TO have done, and not reefed
| sail so suddenly, Id We had her square
into that current where you see the
driftwood running there. and that would
have taken US along by ITSELF" grumbled
| Harry.
The boat did catch the current, and was
borne along so fast that they soon came
in plain sight and but few hundred
yards away from the busy workers who
| were building the staging out into the wa
ter TO where they could begin laying the
| pontOOns. y few minutes more would take
| them right in amid their comrades, when
! suddenly the boat struck the edge of an
other eddy. and stopped. The wind. upon
| which they had not been relying since re-
entering the current, also died down.
| Worst of all. they had entered the area
where the rebel guns were dropping shells
TO stop the pontoen-iaying. The rebel ar
! tiilerymen saw the strange craft, and be-
gan aiming at it, with increasing precision
of fire.
Here. who the devil are you, and what
| are you doing out there demanded in a
ringing, commanding tone. a middle-sized.
swarthy-faced man IN Ma jorGeneral's
uniform. who had come out TO the farthest
post which had been put down for the
staging, and was standing there. regard
| less of the possibility of rebel shells, di-
rccting, encouraging. and. it must be con-
fessed. swearing at the men who We're
doing the work, and those who were not
doing as much as they should.
81 ard Shorty could make out the long
black hair and mustach, and it seemed
the piercing black eyes of the Major Gen
cral
That's Gen. Logan. Shorty
Sure as you're alive, ST. l thought
so the first accent | heard of his swear
ing. Nobody in the army can hold a can
die to him in that
We're Fourteenth Corps scouts and
foragers. General 81 shouted back.
Devil of n way TO 20 scouting-in
broadhorn. Why didn't you take a raft.
and wait for the June rise:" inquired the
General. sarcastically. auch to the amuse-
ment of his soldiers, who intensely appre
ciated Gen. Logans cauStic humor-yery
much more, indeed, than the men outside
his corps, who were the usual victims of
it did.
What in eternal birthstone biazes did
you expect to run down with that old mud
Scow:" he added. in the tone of greatest
contempt, at which there was Il loud cho- |
rms Of derisive laughter from Il thousand
men around him.
Run down. General? Why. run down !
the Saluda River, of COURSE" replied /
Shorty. instantly. as if the most natural |
thing in the world.
The yell of laughter that followed from
the crowd was even more spontaneous, |
erybody was immensely tickled at the |
General having met his match. lie join
ed in it no less heartily than the others
Great Cesars ghost, but that's good
exclaimed he, Shaping the Aid nearest
to him on the back, and. uttering a pealing
laugh. Going 10 run down the Salutla
River? Why, of course. What else could |
they be thinking of? That's the best
thing I've heard since we left Savannah.
l must tell old Sherman. that. Don't
any of the rest of you lisp Il word to him
of it. l want TO tell him myself. That's
good one on me. Going TO run down the
riveri Say, those fellows are no fools.
Say. You web-foot, mud-turtlc scouts, you
aren't running. down the river very fast.
low. If you stay out there much longer
one of those rebel shells will send you
scouting up among the clouds. What are
you up to. just now. anyway"
just then shell struck so close that
some of the water splashed on the Gen
eral. He wiped his face with his hand
kerchief. and said to his Aid
$50 back there and tell Capt. Gala han
that rebel battery is becoming bothersome. !
1t is likely 10 disturb the men at their
work. Tell him to go into battery some |
where. and shut it up" 1
General, we've been trying TO get over /
to you, to see if you needed us or orr boat. ]
That's what Gen. Sherman told us to do" I