Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-04-12
CHAPTER XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.
Whilst we were about this last
Ephraiin Yeates came Looping down the
avenue and through the gate to vault
into the saddle of the first horse he
could lay hands on; and SO 1t was that
we three took the northward road in
the silver starlight, with the pursuit
now in order again and in full cry be-
hind us.
Twas not until we had safely run
the gauntlet of the vedette lines by a
by-path known to the old hunter, and
had shaken off the troopers that were
following, that l found time to ask
what had become of the men who had
formed the ambush in the shrubbery.
The old man gave me his dry chucale
OF laugh.
Twas the same old roose de geer,
as the down country Frenchers 'u'd
say. I stole the drunken sergeant's
gun and two others, and let 'em off one
to a time. AS for the screechin'. one
bazoos as good as a dozen. If so be We
blow it fierce enough"
Twas cut and dried beforehand"
Dick explained. Il had an inkling of
what was afoot from Ephraim. here.
whom l stumbled on when / dropped
from the stair window that Madge
opened for me- He went to set his
man ambush whilst l was trying
to warn you"
so" said l. Our skins are whole,
but after all we have come off with
never a word to take back to Dan Nor
gan-unless you have the word"
Not l." Dick said. ruefully
The old man chuckled again.
"Ye amt old enough, neither one o
ye. ez 1 allow. 1t takes right old
person TO fish out the innards of an
inimy's secrets. Colonel Tarleton, boss.
foot and dragons, with the seventh
regiment and a part O. the seventy-frst.
will take the big road for Dan Nor
CANS camp tomorrow at sun-up And
right soon afterwards. Ginral Corn
wallis IL foller on.
Twas late in the afternoon of the
last day of January when we set out
together, Jennifer and l, from camp
of conference at Sherrard's Ford. The
military situation, lately so critical for
us. had reached and passed one of its
many subclimaxes. Morgan's little
army, with it's prisoners still safe in
hand, was on it's way northward to
Charlottesville in Virginia, and only the
officers remained behind TO confer with
General Greene.
AS for the British commanders in
tendings, we had conflicting reports.
Two days earlier. Lord CORVALLIS had
burned his heavy baggage at Ram
sour's Mill, and so we had assurance
that the pursuit was only delayed But
whether, when he should break his
camp at Forney's plantation, he would
go northward after Morgan and the
prisoners, or cross the river at some
nearhand ford to chase our main, none
Of our scouts could tell us
At times we were close upon the
British sentries. with every nerve
strained tense for fight or flight: anon
we would be making wide detours
through bog and fen, or beneath the
black network of wet branches with the
rain soaked leaf beds under foot to
make the horses treadings as noiseless
as a cats.
None the less, in the fullness of time
twas near about midnight as we
guessed tive had our patience well
rewarded lowering on the confines of
the camp we heard the muffied drum
tap of the reveille, and soon there was
the stir of an army making ready for
the march.
(Which way will it be. north or
south?" whispered Dick. when we had
4 L I, Il. % .,
hol
I'VE shall know shortly" said I; and
truly, we did. being well-nigh envel-
oped and ridden down by the fringe of
lighthouse deploying to pioneer the
way When we had sheered off to let
this skirmish cloud blow by. Dick
struck a spark into his Undertook to
have a sight of his compass needle.
South and by east" he announced;
"that will mean Beattie's Ford. l take
it."
Not unless they swim. horse and
foot l objected Twill be Macgow-
ans more likely"
Having this uncertainty to resolve
we must hang upon the skirts of the
British advance TIL we could make
sure, and this proved to be most per-
ilous business. Yet by riding abreast
of the moving main we did resolve the
uncertainty; heard the orders passed
from man to man. and later saw a
small feinting detachment split off to
take the road for Beattie's. whilst the
main body held on for Macgowan's; all
this before we were discovered in the
cleaning of the dawn by some OF
Tarleton's men.
Then, l promise you, my dears. I;
was neck or nothing. Anyway. we sped
toward the nearby river, squirting our
wearied beasts as men who ride for
life, with a dozen troopers so close
upon us that when / glanced over my
shoulder the foremost OF the redcoai
riders was having his face we'll bespat-
tered with the mud from my horses
heels.
Twas touch and so. but happily. as
have said the river was at hand. We
came to the high bank some hundred
yards above the fording place. and
lacking Dicks example to shame me L
the blaver course. fear should have
reeoned at the brink But when th'
lad sent his horse without the MISSING
OF a bound far out over the eddyfns
flood. shook the reins on the sorref'
neck. gave him the word and shut m,
eyes.
After all. it was nothing worse thar
a cold plunge, with a few pistol shot
20 spatter harmlessly around us whei
we came up for air Moreover. Their
were the camp-fires OF Davidson's mel
on the farther bank TO encourage US
and SO swimming and wading by turn
we got across in time to give IN
alarm.
AS YOU would guess. there was
mighty stir on our side OF the rive
when we had snlashed ashore and so
our news we'll born. As 1t turned out
General Davidson's main camp was
good half-mile back from the river !