The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-22
CHAPTER XIV.

pathway among the heights at the head
waters of the Hazel Dodging hamlets and
settlements, fording branch after branch
of the Rapidan, keeping ever 10 the wood
path and byways, Freds black guide at
last had landed him in a sheltered nook
among the hills just as darkness settled
down over the wild beauty of the woodland I
scenery and the twinkling stars came peep
ing into the eastward sky. Here. in little
amphtheater of rock and cedar and stunt
ed pine, Hector sprang from his detected
beast, whose dropping head and jaded with
told of the trials of the day, helped
Benton to alight, whipped off the saddles
and set to work to build little fire in
blackened corner, evidently often put TO
similar use in the past. The beasts had
had their fill of water when they forded the
Hazel, and were soon rolling In infinite re-
lief on the scanty turf. Then the battered
tin was filled from the canteen and set TO
boil for coffee. Some pine boughs were
shaken down and Fred's blanket spread.
Then away went Hector TO refill the can
teen and get such news as he could. 1t was
late, near 8 o'clock, when he came back
laden-oats for the horses. corn dodgers for
their riders, and big news for Fred. The
Yankees were pushing forward in heavy
columns along the Rappahannock, moving,
perhaps, on Culpepper. Yankee troopers
had been scouting that morning about Fau-
quier Springs and Waterloo, barely fifteen
miles away. II all went well and the horses
weren't lame in the morning they could be
! off at dawn and feel their way round back
of the cross roads and Washington Cont
House, cross the North fork-the Hedgman
way up among the hills, and then work
eastward until they fell in with the Yankee
cavalry, that ought to be out on the right
| flank OF McDowell's advance. Hector had
a friend who could ''baw'' a mule and meet
them at the ford Of the Thornton back of
Sperryville and show way to the Hedg-
man. After that, if Hector was to go back
Benton would have to shift for himself.
If only Stuart's fellows. now, OF some
other Southern cavalry weren't scouting
the lower fords and woodroads, interposing
between them and the Yankee outposts at
| Warrenton, all might go well.
And so, wearied, yet refreshed and full of
hope, Fred Benton slept until aroused by
the din of dogs among the farms below
them. 1t was just at the chill of the earli-
est dawn. A whip-poor-will was piping his
weird chant in the thickets on the north
years thereafter he could never hear the
harmless. mournful plant without thrill
of anxiety, ii not dismay for from far
down among the scattered settlements
there came floating to him on the still
morning air, quick stirring and spirited,
the soft trumpet notes of the cavalry
reveille, played just as he had heard it
played four successive mornings on that
4 ah1tlo 20 81,
knew these were not the blue jackets of
Bayard, but beyond doubt the grays The
plumes of Stuart might have been waited
away to meet the new danger along the
York, but Benton had heard enough at the
| Chiltons to know that skilled leaders of
horse with hosts of daring fellows, were
still close at hand-Tu-ner Ashby in the
valley, or Beverly Robertson in front of
Ewell at Gordonsville. Now, what could
this mean but that the squadron had biv-
ouacked far cut on their flank, far north,
too, of the Confederate positions below the
Rapidan, and was scouting these mountain
by-paths. perhaps. in search of him? To
Robertson and men of his rank the game
might not be worth the candle but there
was that strangely vindictive fellow Louns-
berry, armed with power to order hither
and yon. The dawn came in with rose and
gold and royal purple. but the day looked
dark for Benton.
Rousing Hector. who still slept the sleep
of the just and the weary, he told him of
the new danger. and the darkys eyes
bulged in their sockets. He was up and
we'll scared in less than no time, and, taxi
ing Benton's glass, disappeared among the
rocks and trees up the hillside to the west
There was a lookout, he said, in the
branches of an oak, from which much of
the country could be seen to the southeast
1t was full twenty minutes later and just
after Benton had heard the distant signal,
'boots and saddles" from the same trumpet.
when he came scrambling down. No time
for coffee, no time for feeding or rubbing
the horses, he said. Like as not these
troopers would be out searching every by
path. He had seen them doing that after
the first Bull Run when a dozen Yankee
prisoners broke away from the cars at night
and skipped for the mountains. They had
all but two of them back inside of twelve
hours. Hurriedly saddling Hector then
aided his charge to mount then again led
the way, crooked and devious, through all
manner of scrub and tangle. threading ra-
vines, skirting clearings and creeping ever
higher toward the crest until the foothills
at last were left far below, and by the edge
Of little brook that furnished cool and
abundant water for man and beast they
stopped for breakfast-coffee, cold corn
dodgers and slices of bacon frizzed on the
point of a stick for the masters, and the
last of the oats for the four-footed slaves.
Then on again northward. and so tortuous
was their way, so many were the halts,
making on a bee line little more than a
mile an hour, they bored through the will
derness until, late in the afternoon, from a
bare projecting ledge they obtained their
first unimpeded view to the eastward, and
saw the North fork, the Hedgman, like a
silver thread. winding away southeastward
through copses and clearings. and among
. the wooded heights toward Warrenton, and
all the lovely rural landscape of Fauquier
spread before them like a map Who now
were masters there-the blue or the gray
That night the moon, half full, but bril-
liant, stood high toward the zenith as the
! whip poor-wills began their vesper Mis-
erere. BY midnight ii would sink behind
the Blue Ridge, and Benton ordered for
ward while the faint light lasted, despite
; Hectors demurrer. He didn't know the
Hedgman fords, he said. and they'd find