The National tribune., 1907-03-14

gang held me he went thru my pockets.
taking my knife, comb, tobacco and
purse. I was then ordered to sit down
on a stump and take off my shoes, as
he conveyed the consoling intelligence
to me that would not need them much
longer. Looney refused to do as they
told him and upbraided me for doing
SO, but ] was as biddable as child
and let him take my shoes while I put
on his old stogy boots. We all mount
ed, 1 on my old standby, leaving the
horse where I found him, and avoiding
the public road cut across pastures and
plantations for / don't know how long.
Soon after leaving the stable two Of
our escorts left us, so we then had but
three. After a while we came to a
creek, and stopped to let the horses
drink. AS the road was full of fresh
tracks the rebs fell to discussing the
probability of they all" having moved
camp, and the one who seemed to be
the boss finally decided to go over to
q house near by and ask the folks"
leaving instructions for us to follow af-
ter If he did not return. I was entirely
played out, for my blanket had been
taken from me and 1 was riding old
"Dammyou" bareback. Well, / have
set on softer things. but never harder,
and you can imagine how I felt after
our forced march of three hours. 1 got
off to rest, and my escort did the same,
while the other two kept their mounts
1t seemed to me about then that chew
of tobacco would mitigate the gloom
considerably, SO I asked if either of
them would give me chew. The
guard who was just south of Looney
was the chap who took my tobacco. and
he spoke up and said, "YeS, partner,
can give yer chew" In order to get
to him / had to pass in front of their
horses and take the 'terbacker" from
his left-hand pocket, which was next
to Looney. The reb turned his head
to hand me the weed, when suddenly
he let the tobacco drop and threw up
his hand to his head. In an instant
took in the situation, and made grab
for his carbine, which he was holding
in his right hand out of my reach, but
succeeded In getting his gun and the
bridle-rein also. He fell heavily to-
wards me, and the confusion caused
his horse to jump forwerd, but I held
on to the horse and gun and was try
ing to get an aim on the other reb when
Looney covered him with his little .22,
which / supposed had been taken from
him. 1t seems he had concealed 1t in
his sleeve, and thus succeeded in keep
ing it Looney held his little gun in
the reo's face, and told him to shed his
rigging, and be quick about it, too.
handed his accouterments to Looney,
and then turned around to the other
reb, whom I found dead, his foot still
hanging In the stirrup. l pulled him
to the roadside and relieved him of my
shoes, for I considered he was decided
ly in the situation he said l was when
we were in the stable, and concluded
his own old stogies would answer his
purpose. 1 mounted his horse, and,
commanding our prisoner to mount his,
we started off We told our captive
that his health and longevity depended
upon his guiding us back to the road
upon which our army was marching,
which he did, taking the nearest way.
We reached what we considered the
zone of safety, and then asked our
guide If he knew where we would be
likely to find pay dirt" as they call
it in the mining regions. He said:
"Well, now, shoah kin; there's an old