Year: 1877

II and the water ON the outer side. To-
night, however, everything was dark.
and IL was with some difficulty that we
found our way across the island TO the
picket post


What's the matter, scrgeantT' l
asked, where's your fire to-nightg"


had to put il out, and moved away
from il, he replied. "They are loading
up two gunboats and three transports
Just across the creek there. and they
threw two or three charges of grape
shot over here an hour ago. I've been
watching them, and was ON the point of
sending man up with an alarm. Pm
glad you've come 10 take the response
bility off my hands.


BY this time had brought my glass.
a strong marine instrument, 10 bear upon
the pier on the other side of the cut or
" creek " as 1t is commonly called, and
saw that the sergeant was right. Three
transports were rapidly receiving troops,
cavalry, artillery and infantry, while
two rather formidable-looking gunboats
were slowly steaming up and down in
front. The inlet was nearly a mile wide;
and rs the enemy showed few lights, and
dim ones, the sergeant, without glass,
had not been able to discover the num-
u. L
made out, however, that at least five
held-battcries were on board, and that
the transports were almost full of troops.
while battalion of infantry, squad
ron of cavalry, and two batteries, re-
mained on shore, apparently waiting for
those on board TO be so disposed as TO af-
ford room for them. | rapidly weighed
all the probabilities of the case in my
mind. There were two and only two
possible purposes i'm this embarkation of
troops. 1t was formidable expedition
against the railroad via Button, or else
IT was merely n removal of troops from
one point on the coast to another. If
the first were the object, the vessel
would steam up the inlet; if the other.
they would put to sea. But, if il were
merely transfer of troops, why were
the transports crowded i'm this way and
why were the conveying gunboats there?
There was no enemy at sea off the coast.
except storms; and, rs these were disre-
garded in the overlooking OF the steam
ers, il seemed to me clear that the ex-
pedition was bound for Button.


How many menhaveyou, sergeant"
] asked.


"Two," he replied.


Trusty fellowsp'


As good as ever threw leg over a
saddle"


Send them to me-" | said.


When they came, asked:


Are your horses good ones?'


Pretty good"


Mount then, said to one, "and ride
as fast as you can TO Buckingham Ferry.
and wait with the pickets there till the
fleet comes within sight Then send "A
man to Blutlton to announce the fact
and you stay till the fleet has passed,
observing which creek it takes. As
soon as you satisfy yourself on that point,
ride to Blutlton, and report" Then, turn
ing to the other, said


You go to Hunting Island, and do
the same thing. Tell the sergeants to
follow their standing orders in ali other
regards. Hurry now, both of you.
I'll expect you at BlufIton at the right
time"


As the men rode away, went to the
place where the sergeant was still stand
ing, and said:


Sergeant, you and / will stay here
till the feet leaves, and then will ride
straight to camp on full run, and give
the alarm in time"


It's already leaving" he replied
. and see, it's steaming straight up the
creekW


saw that it was as he had said. The
two gunboats abreast led the column. the
three transports following.


It's time for us to be riding, then" /
said, hastily springing into the saddle
but we can beat them by two hours.
as the creek is crooked. and tbev
must sound all the way for want of
buoys."


We galloped across the island: but
when we came to the little creek, we
found an unexpected obstacle in our
way. The tide had risen we'll nigh to
the flood, and extraordinarily high i'm
consequence Of a strong wind which had
been blowing on shore all day. The
strip of marsh which separated the island
from the mainland was completely COW
cred with water, and even the causewav
was submerged. The two men sent to
alarm the pickets had reached the place
only a minute earlier than we, and we
found them hunting for some Landmark
or other, by which TO discover where the
causeway was


The sergeant thought he knew its To-
cality and direction, and boldly plunged
in, the rest of us following. Just what
we did, or where we went, or how il all
happened, none Of us ever knew but we
rode off the submerged track about mid
way the stream, and found ourselves
fioundering in the water, some Of w on
our horses, and some of US under them.
IL was the darkest night ] ever knew.
and, once in the water, we could see no
shore anywhere. Naturally enough each
took the direction in which he thought
the bank lay, and it seems no two Of az
agreed m our views on this point. NV
horse swan pretty we'll, and finally
neared the edge Of the water; but the
bottom was quagmirc, and, sinking into
it, he could not extricate himself. To
relieve him / got of his back. and into
the water, but it proved too late. with
every struggle he sank deeper; and
within a minute the poor fellow lay life
less in the water, have buried in the mud
Of the bottom.


My own situation was n perilous ono.
My feet sank at once in the Shiny miro,
and 70 save myself threw my body for
ward. Succeeding in feeling myself I
swan until tho water was too shallow for
swimming; after which by crawling on
my belly, ! managed 10 avoid sinking
and smOthering in the mud. II was half
an hour, however, before ! stood upon
firm ground again, and then did not