The National tribune., 1903-01-29

hsore rapid progress made. IL was VIEW
aggravating. slow, hard work. but 81 stuck
| 10 II with the rest, and as the afternoon
| was waning he forced his way through the
dense tanSie on either side of sluggish
| creek Wandering through a marsh and
| came out to where the ground rose toward
crest, several hundred yards away,
| Win the woods more open. Shorty yelled
| Win deiiSht Mt the improvement in their
prospects, and 81. taking OFF his hat to
| snake some of the load of water out of
1t. looked to the front to reconnoiter.
AS he glanced around he saw that his
boys, with the instinct of veterans on
reaching open ground, were intuitively ad-
tsahchs IN line with large trees in their
front. a fearful blast of canister tore
through the watery air from two cannon
on the crest beyond. 1t smashed against
the trees. hurtled viciously around them.
cutting OF the underbrush, and crashed
loudly through the thicket from which
they had just emerged
Iheres your something solid that yon
have been looking for all day, ST." said
Shorty. from the cover of his tree, and
TAXING ann with his Spencer at where the
cannoneers seemed to be-Shorty never
t9an opportunity TO make prod at his
partner Look out! There comes another
youI"
81 looked quickly around and saw that
all his boys We're unhurt and closely hug
| SinS the large trees in front of tLem. with
the muzzies of their carbines poking
around the trunks
| Hi. Hi. grab root! grab a root
yelled Pete. Sandy, ALI. and Harry.
Lie down, Tanks. The lids Off" MONTY
Scruggs sang out sonorousiy..
Pete and Sandy began popping avoy in
the direction of the cannon.
| step Your palayer and attend to busi-
hess" 81 yelled back to his partner. as a
second blast hurtled By. pete and Sandy.
get under cover, you little scalawags.
Stick close, all of you. Stop firing. there.
TIL you see something to shoot at. Stop
1t, tell you-all of you. Everybody get
close under cover. What in thunder do
you suppose. Shorty, they are doing with
artillery out there:"
1t must be some cannon that has
Shorty yelled back. .Do You see any in
fantry? l have been looking for it, but
cannot see anything for the internal
smoke
Here's your infantry, you salivated.
biack-livered Yanks," yelled voice from
the crest, followed by volley of mus
kerry.
Those are muskets-not carbines." 81
shouted to Shorty; but there amt more
| than 40 or 30 of them, at most. Who is
| that yelling! Seems to me have heard
his voice before"
The heavy smoke from the cannon chung
close to the ground and fioated slowly
down the slope, shrouding everything.
| everything became still, except for an Oc-
casional struggling shot from the muskets
| on the crest.
Condemn the smoke" exclaimed 81: Il
can hardly see my hand before my face.
What do you suppose IS over there,
Shorty?'
Hadn't We better send one back to re-
\ ,nf - ~
question.
Il don't see anything worth reporting
| yet, answered 81, land We are going to
stay here until we do. We must have some
thing worth while reporting. We can hold
our place here until the cows come home.
They can't run US back through that
swamp. because they can't get through
themselves, and our seyen-shooters will
make it hot for any one that attempts it.
Keep Guiet for few moments, and SEQ
what happens
Hello. 81 Kleggr' called familiar
voice, quite near in front of them. Hello
Shorty, Hello, 200th Injiannayr'
'.Hullo: out there" responded 81, much
startled. "Who are you? Amt it Wash
Bifies?"
''Tlat's who I am" replied their old
Notwithstanding taking, conJuring
coniraGe of Andersonville. Il am right out
here behind a white oak. trying to craw.
| toNdiVS you. ION SHOOT at me, or any
| thing near that big, white oak just in
| front of me. Shoot up towards the top Of
| the hill, where those scoundrels are plug
gns away at me-"
| Come on ill.," answered ST, firing two
or three shots in the direction indicated. A
moment later Wash B;ffies rose from his
| hands and knees in front of Shorty's tree,
| and was greeted by him.
| What in the world-Where did you
come 'FRONT.'" gasped Shorty, as he recog-
nized Biffes in full rebel uniform.
No time for talk; TO time for explana-
TONS" answered Biffes hurriedy. Tell
| you more later. Get your men out of here
quick as scat. Git! git, Hurry! Joe
JOhnston's whole army is right back in
| there"
..Johnston's whole arrly:" exclaimed 81,
| who had come up.
Eyes, Johnston's whole army. Get your
men back as quick as the Lord will let
YOU, and take the news to our army.
What is left of Bates's and Cleburne's Di-
| there, and fortify it. 1t was their cannon
| that fired into you. Git back, Git backr"
81 shouted to his boys to fall back into
| the swamp. They heard the footsteps Of
| the rebels rushing down after them, and
! fired parting volley from their carbines
| to discourage them, and then hurried
| away. When they gained the other side
counted them to make sure that all had
gotten away, and Biffies hurriedly ex-
planned that he had been recaptured, taken
to Florence, and had there enlisted in the
rebel army in order to get out of prison.
He had been put in Rhett's Brigade of
Charleston Heavy Artillery. but had man.
aged to slip away and had mingled with
his old enemies of Bragg's army, who had
been sent out into the woods to occupy the
extreme right of the line which Johnston
was forming in front of Bentonvilie, to
cover the junction of the roads leading TO
CoX's Bridge, and crush the Left Wing as
it came up.
I'VE must get you to Gen. Slocum with
this news, as quickly as possible" said 81.
hurrying them on back to where they had
left their horses.
They then made their way through the
woods to- the road upon which the corps
was advancing to BentonvilIe.
.'Where is Gen. Slocum?" ST inquired of
the commander of the leading brigade of
Carlin's Division.
Gen. Slocum has gone over to the
Twentieth Corps to see how it is getting
along" the General responded.
1--WE have picked up a man out here
with important news which he should
have at once. Where is Gen. Davis?"
"Gen. Davis has gone back to Morgan's
Division to hurry it forward. The roads
have been so damnahle that the column
has become separated in spite of all that
could be done, and Gen. Davis is doing
what he can TO close it up
I'VE must find Gen. Davis at once"
said 81 anxiously. 'Joe Johnston's whole
army is out there in front of us, and Gen.
l.