The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-07-03

clothes, for fear III find all my skin
green-moldy like frogs"
We'll. so-long, boys. Much obliged for
your dinner. L must get over there to-
ward the front, and see how they're com
ing along" They all sprans to their feet
| to salute the General and give him three
| cheers and Il tiger, as he clambered back
UP on the bank and hurried out to where
| his troops were making their Judgment Sc
cure, and beginning the construction of a
staging TO meet the pontoon.
| Shorty cut down four Saplings of the
right size, and he and Sandy spiked on
them pieces of plank to form sweeps, or
Mississippi sails to get up an elbow
grease breeze" and take them out of any
future eddy. They spiked stout pieces on
! the gunwaleS of the boat to serve as row
| locks. and then announced themselves in
dependent of the wind and defiant of
| bacll-currents.
| When all was ready. Harry took his
! place at the steering sweep. Pete got ont
his hook-and-line again, and seated him
self at the stern; 81, Shorty. Tom and
Abe grasped the handles of the rowing
| sweeps, Sandy cut the grapevine moor
| pulled out TO the current. amid the
cheers of the men OH the banks.
| Since they could now keep their craft
| in the swift current they made rapid pro-
gress. As they swept along they could
see on the hills on either side the river
| the gathering of the clans" for a mighty
conflict. All the hill-tops behind We're blue
| with Union .~lliers marching by every
road that led toward Columbia. On the
hill-tops in front ant-like professions of
dull-brown objects were moving back to
some general line of battle on the banks
of the Broad and Congaree Rivers.
From miles away on either side came
angry bursts Of artillery. and spiteful clat-
| tiers of musketry, as the Union soldiers
| caught up with the rebels, and there was Il
| noisy brawl over the possession of some
hilltop or the crossing of some creek.
Were getting good ways ahead Of
the main line. and ! shouldn't wonder
| about even with our most advanced for
ayers" remarked 81, carefully surveying
the surrounding country. 1T stands us
in hand to look a little out We don't
want to buck into a whole brigade Of
rebels on both sides of the river at this
narrow place. Thatd be too much even
for our Spencers."
Lets throw her into that eddy, over
there. and get time to think. Oars, ALL
Harry, point her for that log you see
circling mp stream there. All together
now"
As they were swinging into the eddy
there appeared on the cleared uplands a
quarter-mile or more to the left forager
Galloping his mule for dear life, with
three or four rebel cayalrymen in pursuit
and firing. Next came u man from still
farther to the left. galoping as wildly to
his partners assistance. The two came
together, jumped from their mules. and
behind fence corner, and opened fire on
the pursuers, emptying one of the saddles,
but the other rebels came on.
81 and Shorty snatched up their car
bines and fired at the rebels, but found
that their Spencers did not have the range
of their old Springfelds, and the shots fell
short. Wash Lambert tried his musket
with better effect, and landed shot near
the rebels.
More foragers suddenly appeared, as if
rising from the ground, and Salloped to
the assistance of their comrades, and then
more rebels as suddenly appeared, until
there was q fierce little battle in progress.
which was terminated by the last arriving
fOragers making n rush at the rebels. and
rushing them back out Of sight. when
presently regular volley told that the
fOragers had ''struck something solid"
81 and Shorty and the rest kept putting
in shots from their carbines as much for
the moral effect as anything, until the
rebels disappeared.
The first two foragers pulled themselves
together, gathered up their scattered
things, turned and waved grateful sa-
lutte to the boys on the boat, and shouted:
Bully boys. Your range was too short
but you showed your good will Much
obliged, all the same. So long," and rode
off to join in the pursuit.
"ShOrty. did you notice the direction
of the sound of that volley:' 81 inquired.
Seemed right over there, only little
ways. didn't it?'
Eyes, and there it goes again. Those
fcragers have stirred up hornets nest,