The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-05-19


said the skipper, and would have agreed
with him if it hadn't bin for a boss we
had on deck. l had feeling that he
would make trouble, and told the skip
per so before they hoisted the animal
aboard.
81 don't want to carry him. says the
skipper, but he's present from my own
ers for the commander-in-chi General
Lee and Z We got to obey orders. Johnny,
he says, you feed and take care of him
and I'll see that you get bonus for the
lob
"'All right" l replies, not wanting to
let any opportunity go by, "but l amt
a-going to be responsible if he kicks up
They said that boss was an Arab
charger and worth twice his weight in
cotton, so | treated him as kind as 1
knew, though l wasn't cut out for a
stable boy. We had him in a padded
stall abaft the fo'c'sle, and there was
plenty of straw for him to stand on. He
got hay and oats three times day, and
he wasn't seasick bit, though at first
he didn't know how to climb up on the
deck when the rollcame. If any boss got
good care, that one did, but"
Here Capt Barrett broke off to ask if
horses were grateful animals, and | told
him that thought some of them were
much more grateful than a good many
human beings If read his expressions
correctly he did not accept my view, but
he continued without offering any COM
ment.
"Well," he said "the Plover got to
within seventy-hve miles of Wilmington,
about three o'clock one afternoon, and
the skipper said he'd wait until nightfall
before trying to run through the Federals
l amt likely to forget that evening. 1t
was about si~ when we got under way,
and by eigh: we had logged a good
twenty-five miles. We couldn't have
struck better night for the run in. 1t
was black as tar bucket overhead, and
there was just enough slap to the sea to
muffle the sound of the paddle wheels.
"You couldn't have seen the Plover if
you'd bin within twenty feet of her. We
didn't have light burning-not even a
cigar The engine.room hatchways was
covered with tarpaulins, the sidelights
was doused, and we had curtain around
the pinnacle"
twas evident at the moment that Capt.
! Barrett was living the run of the Plover
over again, for he instinctively drew the
fire from his pipe and crouched low at the
side of the bank. He might have imagiu-
ed himself doubled up behind the bull
warks for all | knew, and l did not dis
turb his reverie. After muttering to him.
self a while, he went on:
eve crept along nicely for another
hour, and then l heard the skipper call
for a cast of the lead. The Plover came
to a dead halt, while Icrept into the fore
chains to sound: 1t was pretty danger
Gus work, stopping her. for she had
full head of steam and might have blown
off; that would have given the whole
game away. But she didn't do it, and
the skipper said he was too far to the
south after he looked at the sand that
came up on the lead. So he changed her
course two points and ran along fast for
thirty minutes or so. Then least again,
and this time the skipper says: Well
head for shore.
81 was on the bridge straining my
eyes, and it wasn't long before seen a
glimmer of light on the starboard bow.
That's one of EN- | said. Over went
the wheel, and the Flowers head pointed
away, but she'd no sooner turned when
the first officer seen long black steamer
lying abeam on the port side, and he
passed the word to the skipper. We
knew right then that we was in the mid
die of the Federal fleet, but the skipper
was a cool hand. He didn't get worried.
lizard port he whispers; STEADY,
and steady it was. The Plover swung
as handsome as yacht, and we was just
thinking that we wouldn't be seen, when
a pleasant puff of wind come along. 1t
seemed cool, harmless little breeze as it
struck our faces, full of green leaves and
grass-a regular land zephyr, the skipper
said, taking it into his lungs. We're get
ting in pretty close says l, while that
breeze naturally drifted along the deck.
l was thinking how they d like to have
little of it in the hot engine-roon, when
suddenly that boss snorted. I'd clean
forgotten all about him, and l didn't
know what was the matter, but the skip
per, who was used to bosses, jolted me
in the ribs and says: He's smelling the
land; stop him, and be quick about it
"Stop him-how ? l asks, all fuddled
in the head.
THE skipper give me another dig.
You bally fool he hollers as loud as he
dares; he's smelling the land; don't you
know what that means? He's going to
neigh. Throw tarpaulin over his head,
smother him, do anything to him, but
don't let him make racket. Well have
the whole feet firing at u.s."
My animal was calmly switching his
tail while he munched the grass at his
feet, and Captain Barrett watched him
with reflective eyes.
Il nearly fell to the deck, come down
that ladder so quick" he said presently;
"but was too late. Just as reached
the stall another little breeze come along,
and before could get tarpaulin that
boss laid back his ears and opened his
mouth. The noise he made was like
steam calliope, and it woke up every
gunboat within five miles of us. Over
head the skipper was stamping his feet
and cursing me and the boss in three
languages.
"'Git into the stall, he yells, and when
he seen me hesitate he picks upa musket.
Git in, he yelis again, and l was so ex-
cited that instead of climbing over the
| stall at the hoss's head, l opens the door
at his heels You'd have thought that
after all did for that boss he might have
bir little bit grateful; but no, he didn't
even let me in the stall. He just lifted his
legs and didn't stop going till hit a
stanchion on the other side of the deck"
Ihad not the heart to tellCaptain Bar
rett that excess of joy and not ingrati-
tudc might have been the real cause of
the animals behavior, and listened to
him tell how guns doomed and flashed
and shots whistled around the Plover,
| 1. 1,eo