Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-03-08

etrated to the inner lines of the Brit
fish camp at Charlotte; and when they
had sought an Indian tracker to lift
my trail, twas he who had volunteered.
But now my spirits rose. With this
unexpected ally we might hope to deal
forcefully and yet fairly with my rear
guard.
Where are your masters now?" 1
asked.
"Catawba chief has no master" he
said. proudly. "Redcoat pale-faces
yonder,' pointing back the way l had
come. Make fire, boil tea, sing song,
heap smoke pipe"
I'VE must take Them" said I
He nodded Kill up all; take scalp.
Wah,"
The bloodthirstiness of my two allies
was appalling. But undertook to cool
the Indians ardor, explaining that the
redceat soldiers were the Long -knife's
brothers, in way. not to be slain save
In honorable battle. / am not sure
whether 1 earned the Catawba's con-
tempt. or his pity for my weakness;
but since he was loyal to the son of
his old benefactor first. and a savage
afterward. he yielded the point.
Lacking the Catawba to guide us.
doubt if either the old man or l could
have found my guards bivouac
near the trail had left. But INCA
loola led us straight through the pitchy
darkness; and when we were come up
on the three soldiers we found them all
asleep around the handful of camp
fire. The Catawba had armed himself
with stout warclub, and before 1 was
free to stop him he had knocked two
of the three sleepers senseless AS for
the officer, had flung myself upon him
In the rush and 1 presently had the bet
ter of him.
Enough, man! tits as good as a
FEAST" he cried. when / had him fast
pnioEed; and thereupon 1 let him have
breath and freedom to sit up. In the
act he had his first good sight of me,
as l had mine of him. Twas Tybee
and no other.
You're a cool hand. Captain Ire
toni" he said. Whatever you were in
that coil at Appleby. you've led the
spy's long suit this time. And I'm not
sure whether l like you any the worse
for it, if so be you must be rebel"
And with that. he gave me the sealed
packet and asked what l would do with
him.
His query set me thinking. AS for
the two stunned troopers, | meant to
turn them over to the old man for safe
keeping; but 1 was loath to make it
harder than need be for this good-na-
tured youngster. So 1 put him upon
his honor.
DO you know what this packet con-
tains?" asked.
He laughed my lord did not hon
or me with his confidence l was to
follow you into Major Ferguson's
camp, deliver the dispatches, and van
ish."
Good; then you need tell no lies.
When the Indian has fetched my horse.
1 shall ride to Ferguson's camp. and
you may ride with me. 1 shall ask no
more than this; that you do not fight
again till you are exchanged; and that
you will not tell Major Ferguson whose
prisoner you are. Do you accept the
terns2"
I'D be a fool not to- But what's in
the wind, Captain? Surely you can
tell me, now that 1 am safely out of
the running"
You will know in a day or two: and
in the meantime ignorance is your best
safety. You can tell Major Ferguson
that you were waylaid on the road by
a party of the enemy, and that YOU
were paroled and fell in with me-"
He looked little rueful. as good
soldier would. but was disposed to
make the best of bad bargain
Here's my hand on It," he said: and
a little later we had dragged the two
troopers to the cabin, where the old
man became surety for their safe keep
ing. and were feeling our way eau
tiously westward at the heels of the
Cathawba who had taken his directions
from cur patriarch. and soon we could
see the camp-fires of Ferguson's little
army twinkling between the tree
trunks.
Major Ferguson's tent was on a hill
lock some distance back from the
stream, and thither we were conduct
ed: We l say, meaning T'ybee and nv
self, for Uncaloola had disappeared like
q Whit Of smoke at our challenging on
the sentry line.
Late as 1t was, the major was up and
hard at work. His tent table, trans
formed for the time into mechanics
workbench. was Uttered with gun bar
rels and tools and screws and odd
shaped pieces of mechanism-the dis
iointed parts of that breech- loading
Inusket of which the ingenious Scotch
man was the inventor. Being deep in
the creative trance when we came upou
him. the major gave us but an absent
minded greeting. listening with the out
ward ear only when Tyhee reported his
mission. and his capture and parole l
drew a sealed Enclosure from my peck
ct and laid IL on the work bench ia
BILE.
II also have the honor to come from
NV Lord CORVALLIS. bringing despatch
ESQ far l got in my cut-and-dr
npeech. and then my tongue clave TO
the roof OF my mouth and l could no
more finish the sentence than could a
man suddenly nipped In a wise In
stead of the carefully doctored original,
/ had given the major the duplicate de-
spatch taken from Tybee.
All. my dears- that was moment
for swift Thought and still swifter ac-
ton: and tbs the Ireton genius TO be
slow and sure In that clock-tick of
tenunbing despair when the success
Of the hazardous venture. and much
more that L wist not OF. hung suspend
ed by hair over the abyss OF failure. 1
minded me of boyish trick whsrewith
used to fright the timid blacks In the
old DAYS at Appleby Hundred. So
whilst the major was reaching for the
packet-nay. when he had il in his
hand-I started back with a warning
cry. giving that imitation OF the omin-
Gus skfr1r-r OF q rattlesnake which had
more than once got ne cutting from
my father
In any crisis less tremendous | should
have reared a-laughing TO see the
doughty major and my good friend the
lieutenant vie with each other in their
slinnings TO escape the unseen enemy