The National tribune., 1903-11-19

tenth of a second quicker than his, and
just as he caught sight of me. and lifted
his revolver little to aim. let him have
a bullet through his shoulder. which
this attracted Larry's attention momenta-
rily, which the Captain took advantage of
to jump past him and out Of the door.
Larry ran out to me. and we fred q
few shots, as we could catch sight of any
one, to keep up the scatterment. and give
our fellows time to collect their wits and
get together. You know, those Spencer
ball. and whenever we'd see a shaking In
the weeds or brush we'd send chunk
of lead smashing in that way, 30 that the
Captain could not rally his men any
where's near. We could not see that We
were killing or wounding anybody, but
we knew that, the constant firing was
producing a decided moral es>at upon
them. They thought we had some new
Yankee internal cOntrivance that could
go on shooting forever.
1--WE got our boys out of the stable and
corn-house, and under shelter OF the house.
but what to do next was an anxious
question. The Captain had brought up
his whole company, which made him have
double or treble as many men as We had.
and ours were not armed.
"'Bedad, If Oi know anything about
military tactics said Larry. they're sur
rounding us, so they are
"'Bedad, that's just what they're doing.
answered. It's high time that We were
getting move on ourselves. Here. you
boys: Strike out up that path there to the
left. Well bring up the rear. and hold
these whelps back
Larry and l filled up our magazines
afresh. to be ready for rush on us.
| 'The boys ran up the path to the left,
but had hardly gone more than 100 rods
when l heard shots fired, and they came
bolting back.
| $50 I imagined. Well, cut across and
take that path to the right
"a minute.ior two later heard shots
fired from that direction. and my boys
came piling back, singing out:
-" Jest heaps an lot o. Confeds over
/ thar, Cap nj Eo'
11"T thought likely something Of that
kind said, as coolly as | could. for they
were terribly frightened. and looking
| anxiously at oour1faces for hope. Well,
| we'll have to shake them out Of there
"'You stay here, wills. and hold these
golliwogs back said Larry, and Ofll go
out there and shoot hole through thin
in 'front.'
"Then there came a roar as Larry
turned his Spencer loose out on the right.
But it was answered by pretty heavy
| voiley, followed by rattle of musketry.
| "Quite clearly Larry had not succeeded
! in shooting hole through that crowd.
Presently he came lopfng back with
| his cap shot off. and the blood streaming
from a scraping shot across his sconce.
'Bsdad, the golliwoss out there are
inch, and wan of thin came moightly near
letting out all my schooling.
"tBedad, that would have been too bad.
said jokingly, to keep up the spirits OF
the boyy II was fine Irish scbooling.
imported By Abe Lincoln, expressly for use
"But t couldn't hide it that I was pret.
what to do. looked around hopelessly
for some chance to get away. We seemed
trapped, sure as fate. SOLDERING Swack-
hammer, whom we had forgotten. 1t
seemed for an age. skunk up to my side. !.
"Cap, If yo' rayly want t git out 9
heah. KIN show y how he said. with
:!!@y. =nesky grin -
as with E.sey ye: 1s4ss sn,.kaE lans seI IL,
carb:ne barrel to strike him. Out with
! ye, before OF brain ye.'
larry was mad enough to do murder
on anything. I looked at the wretch, and
| 1t flashed upon me that, like some others
had known, he was SO In love with
treachery and sneaking a. to do them
6lmply IOt In0 sake Oh uOtuH Iucus 1Ou
know, RS Ike stealing with some men:
They steal for pure love Of stealing. and
| not for something thatll do them any
good. You know how II was with Jim
Esher, Of our company. He'd put his own
nothing else for him to get away with.
Just like tame crow. Most spies are
spying. and wiz run back and forward
from one line to the other, with all they
can gather up, and run the risk Of being
hung, iust to be spying. Swackhammer
was probably just that sort of hairpin.
He'd been tickled to death to bring the
rebel cavalry down on US, and now It'd
tickle him still moro to get US out OF their
clutches"
II understand" said Shorty. "Tve
seen lots Of those fellows. They're born
sneaks and traitors, and are naver happy
except when they are selling out their
best friends"
"Any way. It was no tine to put on airs
and be Independent. I'd 'vs made q bar
gain with the devil hinssif to get out Of
"'Go ahsad and show us the way out,
IL you can, and I'll give yen . handful Of
ereenbacks,' I said to SwackhammsH.
"'Hs'n oaly run Nc into thin worse
than ever said Larry, struggling g hit
him. Hes got the divil In him bigger
than q mule, Uuu 0Vory Wluuto neb nVeo
has been danger to us.
"'Ali the same, he offers .us now about
the only chaHtS 4 see for getting eut Of
this scraps,' tAld I. holding back Larry's
carbins barrel and Tn ssIne to try him.
60 ahead, swsekhammer and Il you show
..s. u. . w.E .E :utyosr ys shall have a a''fuli Of
s's'VS sGome right srt.r me- sai4 he. di..p-
pearing through what seemed sslid
hedge Of lilac bushes. grown up since the
house was deserted, and never disturbed.
"I followed lsIyins Larry to bring up
the rear, with the boys between N.
Swaekha miner INN ediatsly struck into an
old farm path through q patch Of high
growing sheep -burrs, which seen wound
around and stfuck the bed Of the creek.
This was broad, shallow and graveily,
and walled on either side By th,ekly grow.
Ing young willows. rising - Z hight Of 10
or IL feet. Il led through densely-ovsr.
grown swamp, extending for hundreds Of
yards In each direction. and absolutely
impossible. We went up the bed Of the
creek without any trouble. and the sound
drowned that Of our stsps. We could
clearly hear behind % the cemmands Of
the Captain eiesins IN his men upon tho
plncs We had left. At every ono Of these
Swackhammes would turn and lesf
triunphantly at me, 20 Il ths highest Joy
Of his lifD Wa realized h feeling sens-
body. We kept IN de 0esk for fully .
Quaftsr sf q nile, until ws had passed
the ewampy eIyuhd. ane alse he high
ground whlsh i laA s1t - 1aks he
swamp. sAd 1naiiy tufqsl Il Into Z
(woods.paA svse In. ytso tAss NJ