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Raising my head, | saw the eccentric land-
lord of the little tavern.
He had just rounded the corner of the
barn and caught sight of us.
hy he was about to visit the barn I do
not know, but, doubtless, he had some sinis-
ter motive in view.
He was a singular looking fellow, with un-
kempt hair and beard, and the general ap-
pearance of a typical Italian brigand, bar-
ring the costume, and I knew he must be a
mountaineer from West Virginia.
Doubtless, although tremulously amazed
at what he saw, the landlord comprehended
the situation at once, and turning, he placed
the barn between us and himself, as he
cleared the ground with tremendous leaps,
making for the house.
I might have rounded the end of the barn
and shot him in. the back ashe ran, for he
must have presented a fair mark; but what
good would this have done?
The pistol report would bring out the ofli-
cers just when his appearance on the scene
would, and there was no use in sacrificipg:
his life.
1 let him go.
Time was precious to us, however, for in
another minute the landlord would have
reached the tavern, and by his cries brought
out the officers.
I gave Pete the word.
Away we went like the wind, clearing the
the short distance separating the barn from
the road in a dozen long leaps.
When our horses struck the road we turn-
ed them to the right, and swept on likea
thunderbolt.
I had iny eyes on the house on the bank,
alittle way from the road.
Just before we came opposite to it, a figure
appeared in the doorway, and the old colo-
nel dashed into view, followed closely by
the voleanic major.
They had evidently been at dinner, for
both of them appeared to have their mouths
full, and the colonel had a white handker-
chief pinned over his manly chest, in lieu of
a napkin. .
Perhaps they had not fully comprehended
the words of the excited landlord, who must
have dashed in upon them shouting out a
conglommeration of ‘tramps, horses and
niggers.”’
=I1f this were so they had no trouble in real-
izing the true state of affairs, as they saw us
speeding past.
The major was purple in the face.
Both men drew revolvers.
“Down!” I cried to Pete.
We lay along the backs of our horses, and
swept past through a lively fusilade, the
shots ringing out in rapid succession from
the two revolvers in the hands of the rebel
officers.
CHAPTER XX.
WHITE TENTS.
bit haye no doubt that the officers fired
There were two reasons for believing this.
In the first place it is a well known fact
that almost any one, firing from a high place
at some object down pelow, will shoot far
above it ten times, to one shot below.
Then again we were mounted on their
horses and clinging so closely along their
backs that there wus great danger of hitting
the brutes.
If some of the bullets must miss their
mark it was far better that they should go
above than below.
We were only subjected to this hot fire for
avery short time.
Then it was over.
_ Looking back I saw the old colonel shak-
ing his fist in the air after us, while the
, major seemed to be endeavoring to kick
himself.
I have no doubt he was at the same time
making the atmosphere in that immediate
heighborhood blue with brimstone.
s for myself, I had not received a
scratch.
Turning, I looked at Pete.
He was sitting bolt upright in the saddle
with a face that would have well become
the Rueful Knight.
_‘‘I’m afraid dey hab done de bizness dat
time, Mars Richards. Dar ain’t no mendin’
“at hole.”
T looked down,
The dark stream that oozed from Pete's
side dripped along the horse’s flank and
stained the road in our rear.
‘“My God! Pete, are you hurt badly?” I
cried.
In that instant of time I learned that I had
HE WAR LIBRARY.
taken a decided fancy to the man during
the short time I had known him.
There. is uothing like danger, mutually
shared, that will briug persons closer to-
gether,
Pete turned his face to me.
Tsaw that the rueful look had changed to
one of wonder at iny words. .
“Wounded, Mars Richard! What you
mean ?"’
What do [ mean? Great heavens! is the
man stark crazy, with his life blood rolling
out and he notaware of the fact that he is
wounded ?
“ Look there, Pete!”
Iie looked.
When I expected him to utter a ery of
horror and perbaps fall from the saddle, I
heard instead his well known cachination,
expressing mirth,
“High! yi! Mars Richards, dat no blood
obmine. Dat wat 1 war jest gwine to tell
you’bout. You see one ob dem rebel bul-
jets it cut clean frough de can ob grapes dat
T carry in my coat-tail pocket, an’ dis am de
inevitable result. Asl remarked once afore,
dar's no stoppin’ ob dat hole.”
Tlaughed heartly at my own mistake, and
hoped the rebel officers would not plume
themselves too highly on their marksman-
ship, when they came to examine the road
and found these stains in the dust. .
We had at least run that gantlet in safety,
with no damage save to the can of fruit,
which Pete speedily disposed of by hurling
it into the bushes.
Before us Jay our road.
At the end of it was the camp of the boys
in blue, and yet along its entire length we
could not be sure but that danger lurked.
The horses we found to be splendid ani-
mals.§and if I arrived in camp with that
steed, all safe and sound, I believed it would
ina measure repay me for the many adven-
tures through which I had 1ecently passed.
I thought of Pete, too.
He could sell his horse for several hundred
dollars, and this would enable him to find
his dear ones in old Caroline county, Mary-
land.
This deciding beforehand what we should
do with our steeds was something after the
manner of counting one’s chickens before
they are hatched.
I had managed to successfully carry my
notes with me all the time in my various
changes of apparel, for the reader will bear
in mind that thoughseveral times apparent-
ly on the point of being captured, I had
never once been in the hands of my enemies
since parting from_ Lieutenant Estes and his
men in the Great Dragon Swamp.
Of course 1 had made notes und mental
observations all the time, and I flattered
myself that although late in my account of
the raid I could give a story to my paper of
daring invasions even into the heart of
Dixie, thrilling chases and the thousand and
one things I had seen und experienced during
that eventful time.
Thad also arranged in my mind to get my
paper interested in Pete and open a sub-
scription whereby he would be enabled to
purchase the freedom of those near and dear
to him
This could ‘be easily done, and I antici-
pated some of the pleasure it would bring
me as I looked upon the honest black face of
the faithful fellow as he rode along beside
We had long since passed out of sight of
the little tavern on the bank beside the
road, and even the two officers had longer
ceased to interest us.
This was only because we realized that the
entire road from the tavern to the Union
camp was to be a2 gantlet through which
we must pass if we would haye freedom.
For some little time after leaving the
owners of the steeds we rode, we saw noth-
ing of a suspicious or dangerous nature.
Still, I was too old a campaigner to believe
this was to be our luck-
It was too good to last.
The sun was nearly overhead, it being
only an hour afternoon, and unusually hot;
indeed I could not bave stood it at all was it
not for the fact that our rapid passage
created a breeze that repaid us ina degree
for the heat we suffered from. .
As we rode along we noticed that the road
kept gradually ascending.
t last we saw the crown before us,
I was thrilled at the sight, for I fully be-
lieved that from this point I would be able
to look upon the Union camp, and no one
ean realize the pleasure such a sight can
possess, until he has been wandering in
ixieland awhile, subjected to all the per-
nn
ils that must necessarily environ one ina
hostile country.
While I was still looking upward at the
crown of the hill, which I expected we
would reach in five minutes, our speed be-
ing slow at this point, in order to save the
horses for the sharp dash I knew we must
have beyond the ridge, there suddenly rang
out the discharge of a gun, and f£ distinctly
heard the music of the minie-ball as it sped
past, pot many inches away from the tym-
panum of my ear... .
Turning my head in the direction whence
the murderous shot had come, I saw 2 man,
clad in a gray uniform considerably the
worse for wear, holding a smoking gun in
his hand.
Somehow I felt indignant at that shot, for
we had done this fellow no harm, and he was
not supposed to know whether we were
blue or gray.
I jerked out the heavy navy revolver from
its holster, and sent three bullets hurtling in
his direction.
A shot from this formidable weapon is
often as dangerous as one from a musket.
iknow not what damagel did, but the
fellow vanished from view, and from the
howlivg and threshing about that ensued
amoung those bushes, one would be apt to
imagiue that a whole company had been
stricken. .
We suffered no more interruptions until
we had gained the brow of the hill,
As I supposed, the view from this point
took in @ circuit of country miles in ex-
tent.
Before us lay the Union camp. :
We could even see the boys in blue mov-
ing about siugly or drilling in squads,
How ny heart thrilled at the sight.
“Yonder,” I said to Pete, ‘tare my friends
and yours—the Yankee soldiers. Between
us lie many rebels. We must reach those
white tents or die on the way.’
* Amen, Mars Richards,’? murmured Pete.
“Then forward, and God be with us!"
As I uttered these words we urged our
steeds forwara, and shot down the declivity
like arrows from the bow.
CHAPTER XXI.
OVER THE BARRIER.
The horses responded nobly to our de-
mands, and like a pair of Centaurs we went
rushing down that road.
Danger was something little thought of,
and yet we were almost constantly sur-
rounded by it.
Though the gates of hell yawned before
us, we would have dashed madly forward,
be the consequences what they might.
The incline had been gradual ou the other
side, but it was of an opposite nature here.
Very steep we found the descent, and in
less than two minutes we were at the foot of
the hill.
During this time we bad met no one, but
more than one shot had rung out from the
busbes on either side of us, Which were, no
doubt, sent with deadly intent, but missed
their mission because of the rapidity with
which we went down the slope.
Who these men were who fired at us I
could not say positively, but seeing one of
them in homespun dress, I concluded they
must be jay hawkers and bushwhackers,
prowling in the neighborhood of the road,
in order to see what damage they could do
the Federal troops should they move that
ay.
Although these men were no doubt excel-
lent shots, they failed to do us any damage,
I feared little as to Peteor myself being
struck, but trembled lest the villains might
manage to wound one of our horses,
Such a catastrophe would setfle our hash,
for we could not accomplish our aim. .
Just as we struck the foot cf the hillT
heard a loud thumping bebind us, and turn-
ing my head was astonished to see eight or
ten gray riders in hot pursuit.
They seemed to be mounted on fresh steeds
of ainost excellent caliber, and it was evi-
dent that we had much to fear from them.
All we could do, however, was to push for-
ward, and trust the rest to Providence.
Between the foot of the hill and the Union
camp the road was lined on both sides for
the most part with a heavy growth of trees.
Ifelt ashudder run over meas I noticed
how close we were drawing toadark place
that looked as though it had just been made
for ambushment.
Several more shots had now rung out, but
as before, we were unharmed, thank Heay-
en.
Holding
the bridle of my horse with a
firm left he
and, I carried the heavy revolrer