The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-05-17

man. The weather was most Indictment,
and the men suffered very severely
from cold and exposure. Under such
i conditions a soldiers bump Of rever-
ence for anything he can worry suffers
| great shrinkage. Sam had taken q vio-
lent dislike to Gen. German. because.
forsooth. that gallant gentleman had
i been forced 10 join in the famous re-
treat from the first Bull Run battle
field.
4 Why Sam should have considered
that Gen. German had any special
monopoly or responsibility in that great
II National foot-race, or that he had de-
veloped more speed than was absolutely
necessary to keep up with the process
sion. is hard to understand; but SO II
was. and several times during this ex-
petition. as afterdawrds learned,
when our steamers were sufficiently
near. Sam would electrify the General
by bowling at him most derisively:
Hello! Old Bull Rum"
Once he made mistake. HeadQuar-
ters steamer was brought alongside of
ours and within a few feet for consul
tation, and on the upper or hurricane
deck stood the General himself
Sam was on the lower forward deck
OF our vessel, out near the bow, and
bracing himself. he yelled up into Cor
mans very teeth:
Hello! Old Bull Rum"
The General was too quick for him;
leaning over the side, he shouted down
to the guard: Throw that man on my
. boat here! Quick!" And sure enough
, they did. Sam, sprawling through the
air like a frog. was pitched headlong
on to Germans boat, and during the
remainder of the day. at various dis
tances, near and far, we could see him,
, long and lank and lean, tied up like a
futtering scarecrow to the jackstaff Of
the steamer. 1t was a cold and gusty
day-for Sam-and no especial atten-
, ton was paid to waffies and quail for
him cpirooting" being temporarily
paralyzed with it's chief apostle); and
, so. when along towards night the boats
, were brought together again, and he
: was chucked back to us stiff as a
wooden Indian, it might reasonably be
, supposed that for once the Great Ir-
: repressible was quelched.
: No, not the least in the world.
\ He gathered himself together. and
chilled, blue. and starved as he was
came creaking and grunting up stairs
to me in the cabin.
Colonel" he groaned. II wish you'd
please have my discharge made out
right away"
Your discharge. Your funeral. you
, mean, if you're not more CAREFUL
NO, my discharge, Colonel. I've
been put on Germans staff!,"
Down stairs, few moments later,
, he made a furnishing raid on a little
, close corporation of the boys sitting
on the floor around a frugal meal of
! coffee, bareback, and s. b., loudly de-
claring the paradox,
, I'm going to eat at the first table
IL l have to wait"
J, Failing to break the circle from any
direction, he suddenly ceased trying,
and affected to notice in amazement
L hot -
: Well" he said, Il don't believe
mule tail stuffed with soger buttons is
good for freckles. anyhow"
. When l asked later how he felt when
first thrown on to Germans boat. he
said most solemnly:
Colonel. awful. I give you my word
! thought he'd akilled me, and, by
lingo, you'd a starved if he had Well,
sir, when they got them ropes out. my
heart thumped like a potato in q
wooden shoe. I thought Old Bull Run
was goin' to hang me sure!"
FL While we were stationed at Helena,
Z Ark, on the bank of the Mississippi, a
couple OF new regiments-tile 22d and
2 oath 1owa-came to us by steamer di-
8 rect from home. They were a gal
3 liant set of men, new, bright and
8 fresh, and possessed Of camp out
2 fits OF stupendous elegance. They
had not yet experienced any Of the mis-
lack OF transportation, and so were re-
garded as fine sport for piuCking by
old veterans Of very little orldiy gear
3 and less conscience; and il number
Of us officers had not combined to put
8 a stop to 1t, they would have been
looted as bare as a modern ballet
& troupe. My tent at that time was up
3 on top of the levee, and one bright
5 moonlight night about midnight ! was
aroused by mysterious shutting and
q whispering near the back Of the tent
: towards town, where the new regiments
5 were encamped.
: Easy. boys" I could hear in stage
want to wake the Colonel? Steady
now! All together! Easy! Step light
sh-h-h!." and knowing that something
contraband would pass the door of my
I tent in a moment, / stepped from bed
and waited. Some six or eight of our
old soldiers came carefully tip-toeing
: past, Juggling a gigantic company mess
3 box, just stolen from one of the Iowa
! camps, the whole enterprise under the
! management Of it's natural guide, coun-
selor, and friend, the redoubtab BILE Sam.
Good evening. gentlemen" said af-
fectionately; much obliged. Set il
right down here, and go to bed; you
! look tired! Good night" and away
I they sneaked, full of trouble and un-
rest Next morning, after guard mount
ing, 1 sent for Sam, and had him call
I up his fellow-villains in front Of head
> quarters, where they stood in line,
silent and abashed, awaiting their
doom. Sam eyed me with eager inter-
, est as sent for a guard and the mar
tial, or "sheep-skin' band, until at last
glimmer Of the dreadful truth swept
through his guilty mind. His face
, deepened and his eyes opened wider
until at last he burst forth in an agony
Of perspiring supplication.
il "Say, Colonel! wot in thunder you
II goin' to do to me?"
4 The whole camp, out to see the fun.
roared with delight as it was announced
that they were to march back to that
J Iowa camp with the mess box under
guard and with the band at the head
Il You'll probably have a warm recep-
tion." l added encouragingly.
II "Oh, Lord!" he groaned as he turned
white and gasped for breath at the
awful prospect. The picture of the
il great "Pirooter" and his veteran
cronies marching into that jeering. jib-
ing camp Of raw recruits to return