The daily Alaskan., 1907-05-09
STORY or A
 BLOCRHOUS
Lorlginall

When the Union troops were mAneu' verIng h the southwest they were obliged to protect long lines of rail- road over which they received their supplies. The vulnerable points were the bridges. near which the bluecoats built blOckhcuses similar to those used by our ancestors to defend themselves against Indians
 One afternoon a force of Confederate cavalry attacked one of these posts.
 The bIOckhOuse was built on the riv- CT bank at the north entrance of the bridge. the rear being protected by the river, running some forty feet below. {. single company commanded by a captain constituted the bridge guard From his loophOles he surveyed the Confederates, who, dlsmOunted, were advancing in line of battle, and his heart sank within him at seeing 9 force three times that of his own. Fortunately they had no artillery, while the Union troops had two small how ltZers.
 Time and again the southerRers as saulted. and every time they were driven off. But at last the defenders. who had been for a week begging for new supply of ammunition, saw that within a few hours what powder and ball they had would be exhausted.
 There was a boy in the command who had run away from home and enlisted at the age of fifteen. He was fond Or the water, and hIs captain had noticed him often rowing a skin he had pressed Into his own service. Taking the boy 20 a back opening, the captain said to lim:
 GO tJ your skin; pull down the river 10 where 1t is crossed by the bridge uext below. There you will find three companies You must row around the bend. but re-cnforcemeuts can cut across and reach us within half an hour. Tell the commanding officer to come at once or We will lose the bridge"
 But will not the enemy see mo and pick me on?"
 You can hug this shore till you get down to the bend, when you must pull across to the point on the other bank. For five minutes you will be exposed to their fire, and there are nine chances lu ten that they will hit you"
 q see"
 Catching up a rope, the captain low. cred the boy to a point some ten feet below. where he struck q steep path leading down to the waters edge The captain saw him get into his boat but lost him at once under the over hanging trees. Then he waited breath lessly till the skin shot out from the banks protection to make the turn in the river Scarcely had the boy ap- pearcd than bits of spray broke all about him, bullet taps on the water
 "Ue's halfway oyern' exclaimed the captain. talking to himself so loud that he could be heard above the cracking of rifles. But they're getting his range. Ucaveusl He's hiJ No; only scratched. He's at 1t again. Good Lord. There goes an oar. He's lost He can't pull with one oar. And the arm has been hit. He's binding It up with his handkerchief. By hunder. he's puddliug! Some Of the shots are beginning to fall short. Hit again. It's all up with him. No; he's on his knees again paddling for dear life. Twenty more strokes, and he'll be be. hind the point. There be goes, Hur rah"
 Then the captain ran to the front of the blockhouse to see a long brown dusty looking line advancing for an- other attack.
 "Give It to 'cm. boys" he said. "If we can keep 'cm of for an hour the bridge n be saved, and we'll escape a southern prison"
 The attack was repuIsed, but when the next one was made the JniOntsts saw something that made their blood run cold. A single man appeared roll ing a bale of hay. It was to set on fire and burn the blockhouse. He was partially protected by his bale and dIt 6cult to reach with a bullet. Directly behind him was another man rolling another bale. Then a third and a Gourth-mdeed, a long ~lIne-each man rolling his bale. The Union sh0rpshOot. CTS picked off the first man and the second. The third pushed on. The fourth fell. The fifth fell. The sixth seemed to bear a charmed life and with the third was getting dangerously near the blOckhouse. The hay rollers came so fast that, though more than three quarters of them were put out of the race. a number were now within twen- tv yards. and one man had come so near that no rifle could reach him. He was cutting the ropes that held the hay together. Then a comrade left his own bale and joined him.
 The captain strained his eyes across the bridge and saw the head of a col umn of bIuec0ats coming on a trot.
 r'Water. he shouted. Some of you men go down to the river in the rear and get water in your canteens! IThere was little else for the purpOse.l If we can keep the flames of for Q few mln utes we'll save the fort"