Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
wt dee
i
‘s
i
‘
HE WAR LIBRARY.
a
oe
obtain another with much trouble, the
chances were against it.
So, bracing himself, he prepared for the
meeting.
Adopting the boldest: course, he opened
his mouth : and‘ in’ a stentorian, voice
shoute Se
“ Boat, ahoy, there!”
Back came a hail:
_* Ahoy yourself!”
In a calm. and steady tone, the spy con-
tinued:
“ Who areyou?” «¢
“« The guard-boat!”’
‘* Any signs of Yankees around?” | s
“*Not yet.” Now, then, who are you?”
“A messenger from General Pemberton,
crossing the river with despatches.”’
“Can you prove this?”
“T can :
“Then pull this, way, and show us your
authority for. being on the river.. Our
orders are to arrest everybody found on the
waters.’
“You are stronger manned than I am,
suppose you pullin my direction.”
st, they were even then. doing this,
and Volney knew that the request. for him
© pull was shrewdly intended
his hands that he would not be Gble to use
weapons in case he was a Yanke
‘If they were shrewd, he was inore so.
He had his revolver in his hand, but held
it down so that it could not readily be seen,
and yet would be ready for instantaneous
“The guard-boat approached.
Listening intently, Volney gathered that
there was some trouble about a dark lJan-
tern, when hearing of the. possession -of
which his lips had set themselves tightly to-
eth
B The light of so much as a match would be
fatal to him, for he was clad in the blue of
the Uni
Ina minute the guard-boat was alongside
the skiff.
“Tsay, have you got a match?” were the
frets addressed to him.
0.
“ Sure you hain’t? Look in your pockets
and see.’
“No use, friend, I never carry matches;
not being asmoker, I have no need of ’em
except at home.”
Quick as a flash he understood the nature
‘of the trouble in regard to the dark lantern.
They had no matches with which to lightit.
It was to be hoped that none would be
found among them. Certainly they would
not be supplied with matches by him
“Can't a match be found on board of us?”
inquired the officer in command of the
guard-boat.
The universal reply given was that no-
- body had so much as a solitary match.
Voiney now putin
*¢ Officer, I don’t want to hurry you, but I
should be obliged if you would make such
examination as you intend without too great
‘a waste of time.”
a Arey you ina hurry?”
‘“Thatlooks suspicious.”
“Does it?”
“Tt does for a fact. No matter how great
your bu hurry may be you’ve got to go ashore
wit
“y am ‘afraid that you are paving the way
for some trouble for yourself,” said Volney,
“By detaining a messenger of General
Pemberton.”
“That is according to orders.”
“True, but only in measure. Your or-
ders are to stop and examine anybody found
on the river, it being supposed that you will
. be ina position to do so. If youcanexamine
my credentials here all right and good, that
will be proper, but I tell you candidly that
the general will not excusesthe carelessness
that made it necessary to detain his messen-
gers 80 long a time as will be taken in going
ashore,’
This was o view of the matter that the
others had not grasped until it was drawn
to their attention
It certainly would not look well for them
‘to detain’a messenger of the general’s be-
cause they were so neglectful as not to have
a match at hand to Telight their dark-lan--
tern when it accidentally 3 went out.
After waiting a few seconds, Volney said: :
“Well, have you decided what tod
“Tsay, are youdealing squaro with us?”
“Oer ‘ainly. What reason would I have to
deal otherwise with you?” : .
““T don't know, unless you was one of
them Dloody Yanks. Suppose we let you go
6 .
on about your business without examining
you, are you going to mention it to our dis-
advantage?"
“Certainly not. Iecan easily see that you
are alive to your duty, and only prevented
from performing it by an accident that is
reasonable enough, although it would not
be excused in the eyes of the general.”
“That’s fair talk,” said one of the men in
the small boat. “T move that we let him go
on his way.’
So do 1.”
“And I.” e
“ And I.”
The last man had spoken.
Finding himself so thorough]
his men, “the officer conclude
and he said:
‘Allright, it’sa go. I won’t detain you,
and you are not to mention the circumstance
to the general.”
“That is the understanding,” returned
Volney, hardly able to keep out of his tone
the joy he felt at so easily extricating him-
self from what he had feared would provea
disasterous dilemma.
He was about to take up his oars, when
aot one of the men said:
under! after all our stew, here isa
mateh now.
backed by
to’ do this,
I didn’t dream I had one about
‘“* Hand it over,” ordered the officer.
With the oars in his hands Volney paused.
Ina twinkling his exultation was changed
to dismay.
It wouid never do to bend to his oars and
make his escape a question of speed. Yet to
remain was to court discovery that he was
“an all-fired Yank.’
Summoning all his calmness to his: assist-
ance, he said:
‘““Got a match there, have you?”
“Yes. Just wait a minute until we get
the dark-lantern lighted; so that we can
have a look at you and be’ sure that every-
thing i is all right.”
stas you say,” Volney: returned, his
heart sinking within him,
His only chance lay in the possibility of
the mateh going out before they could light
e wie
In this fate was against him,’
The match was an excellent one, | and be-
ing handled with care did not go out. Al-
most the instant it touched the wick the lat-
ter ignited.
The officer now raised the match so that its
rays would fall on the man in the skiff, and
the second following he exclaimed:
“Hurrah for the mateh! Boys, that man
is no more a messenger of General’ Pember-
ton thanlam. It’sa Yankee spy trying to
get down the river.”
“So it is!"’ hissed V: olney.
going to do about it?”
** Why, take you in, of course.’’
“Are, eh? ot if T know it! Hands off
your weapons, ny butternut darlings, or [ll
ore some of you clear through! I’ve gota
dead sure thing of itona couple of you, and
if you say so we'll fight it out.’
Ie was trying to oR a game of bluff.
It would not w owever. The rebels
were too well ‘posted in the game themselves,
and the next instant he saw a wicked look-
ing revolver in the hands of the officer.
Swift as a flash the officer took aim at Vol-
ney, but before he could fire another report
The officer fell heavily in the
‘What are you
‘Following it quickly came the word
“Ttold you I meaut to doit! Who. is the
next candidate for mortuary honors?’
The men all shrunk awa.
They were cowed by the determined bear-
ing of this man; three to one though’ they
mere they appeared to lack the pluck to face
ot
But it was seeming on the part of at least
one of their number, as became apparent
presently.
‘‘Now, then, let me see how fast you can
row,” satirically said the sp * Boe quick
aboutit at that, or, I may tale it into my
mind to fire a, again ,
Hardly ha tho words escaped his lips
than the sharp’ report of a revolver broke
the silence that brooded over the river.
Crack! :
It was a splendid’aim, and: had not the
others in the boat rendered it a trifle un-'
steady, Volney irust have gonedown. ‘Asit
was the bullet took his own revolver out of
his hand and left him defenseless.
id the rebels only know it the gamo was
now in their hands, -
Fortunately for Volney the rebels did not
guess the situation. Only one of them ap-
Peared to have pluck enough to contest the
matter, and he was overruled by the. other
“Winding they were pulling away for alk
they were worth, Volney at once took up
me and bent to them with a right zoo
will.
CHAPTER II. - {3
ADVENTURES ON THE MISSISSIPPI. a!
The situation was not a pleasant one by.
any means.
There was only about one chance in a |
thousand that, afterso much of a hubbub,
he could succeed in escaping.
He was not the kind of Ea fellow, however,
to give up until there was nothing else left
to do, and keeping eyes and ears open he,
pulled down the river.
Swiftly he drew near to the batteries.
Could he pass them safely by
This important question whe not settled
when he found
ceive theircompliments.
ne darkness was suddenly riven by the ~
glare of a blue light, which spread so far”
that his position was revealed.
The next instant there was a heavy boom,
and acannon-ball went whizzing past over
his head.
Again a blue light’s glare rent the pall of
darkness.
Once more a cannon. thundered; once
more a ball went hissing above his b read.
“ The ey are pot ranged low enough to hit
me,’ muttered the spy. ‘“ For that much
let me be thankiul. But what will be the
outcome of this? I can see but one thing—
that I must submit to capture, or else leave~
the skiff to drift whither it will while I tako
to the water.”
The reasoning was sound,
Moreover, it should have to be promptly
acted upon, for only a short distance below
where he now was, a second guard-boat was
silently flitting to and fro.
Tv
inmates of this boat saw the blue |
Hghts and began to Jook about them.
t did not take them long to discover tho
dark object on the water,
The prow of their boat. was brougrt about.
and headed in the direction of the skiff.
They were not very far away when Vole
ney first became aware of their presence,
Already he had delayed too long for his
own safety.
Keeping his body close down to the gun-+
wale, so that he ran less risk of being seen,
he slid over the stern into the water, into,
which he noiselessly sunk,
“If they did not see me go over the stern,
Ican count that I have theghost of ashow,’
muttered the spy, as he. clung to the keel of
the ski
They had not seen him, and when the next
blue light. was burned, and they saw that
theskiff wasempty, there was more than one
exclamation of surpri
“Could it be possible that he was hit by
the cannon -ball?”’ said one.
** More likely it is only some Yankee trick.
Keep your eyes wide open, or he'll give us
theslip, and then go around bragging how
he got the best of a lot of Southerners.”
Acouple of minutes followed that were
filled withanxiety to the spy, and then he
drew a deep breath of relief. .
The rebels not merely had not discovered
him, but were of the opinion that he had
either gone overboard and been drowned
or had been_ hit by the cannon-ball, and
summarily disposed o
*“T wonder who he ‘nar said one of the
men in the boat.
“Some Yankee spy, I take it,’ returned
another. “I am solidin believing that was
the case, forifit was not there would have :
been none of the shots we heard.’
Guess you’re right.” .
* Yes, and the cuss is done for.”
“What will we do with the skiff?”
“Tow it ashore. Weare even now bein
signaled to come in, They want na repor fe
of what we have discovered or know about.
this matter.”
he skiff was taken in tow, and Volney,
| hanging fast to the keel, was conveyed to-
ward theshore, much against his will, wero
the truth known.
' Under some circumstances he might havo
been glad to thus easily get a tow into the
very lines of the enemy, but not now while
he had in his possession orders of the utmost
importance to the Union cause,
he shore was not more thana quarter of,
amiloaway when he reached a conclusion, |
It was to take the risk of men behind,
and if not discovered swim
that he was at least to re-'.
It revealed him still alive and
own the river,
{
i
‘
}
4