Show he in y in A a d e A OF THE admy of POTOMAC by GEN CHARLES RING Aut boroI dough t or I 1 art frt mo copyright iwa by 0 IV DIlling balu co chartie XIII ills IHs big boy hector was froomin groo gro omin hawses haases and from this point would lead him on up tip tho the east cast face of the range until near tho the If edgman lie knew that country well whereas old dan dail did not and the latter had to hurry home so that he might show about tho the chilton place na as usual miss fl had ordered that too they would do anything in the world for lier her or for tho the doctor and so once more but in broad daylight now and weir zip tip along the heights they came at last in view of tit tha twisting mountain road that pierced the range Jach jacksons sons runway irm from the shenandoah doah down to gor fonsville and hero here again fred lurked in hiding while hector scrambled sown lawn afoot to try the pass ten had come before hector hecter reappeared big egedi panting there were vere soldiers to the west of df the gap digging forts a squad in every farmhouse along the road and about as much chance of a yankee officer crossing in daylight daylle ht as there was waa of a needles need loa eye a gittin into beavan tie avan nector hector had bad been piously caught aught at some time limp in ills his life and now lie he looked at tho the blue blua and the mhd brass buttons in dismay denton benton thought it over tho the guard were to come for him at six and long ere this had discovered his escape pursuit and search would of course be made anybody own bloodhounds arouni around charlottesville lie ho asked and hector said no still dan had bad golle gone back dan might bo be lashed and tortured until lie he revealed what he knew such things had happened and the sooner benton reached the upper water it p 1 the Happa hannoch and secure bild lild hiding im n places back of warrenton known to hector fleeter the better it would bo be for film himfar for all ila ho doubted riot not that by noon co cou riera uTters would come coina galloping out from Gord gordonsville Gordons onsville vUle telling of ills his escape and ordering guards and sentries on oil the lookout everywhere along tho the gap not a 0 second to losel lose ila ho sprang to the saddlebags saddle bags baga and began a search what had occurred to him would probably have occurred to her and it was miss rosallo rosalie dan alarmed med who packed them with eager hands bands benton pulled at the contents of the ue armos a flask of brandy from the doctors ciure store towel handkerchiefs sponge soap comb and brush socks shirt and u underwear n jacks of course and probably a tight fit small tin boxes containing ground coffee sugar and other things no t time ime to examine bowl then came a shout from hector rummaging on the tha other side and over tho the broad back of marse Pel hams old paramus araua came a worn gray sack ek coat and waistcoat of richmond make and pinned to the lapel a scrap of oe paper on an which j di pencil appeared in characters not script these words adap ind nd spectacles in coat poc pocket tiet small also look out for federals about warrenton in less than half an hour a tall pale faced studious looking young man in spectacles slouch hat and worn sack coat of gray thrown loosely over a tiling rig right ht arm with a dark brown horse borse a doctors saddlebags saddle bags and a tarkey follower on a nondescript nag waned dill deliberately ibera tely froma from a mountain atta n and took the hIgh highway to the easi casi abw i 3 toda further the ro road lid twisted to tha ihs lett and brought him la in ica of a cabin whery a iqual ot old leis in t frock coatti si dingy gray were their canteens cant cona another ot of their number welt and dejected was squatting on tha steps stepa his its sallow face the tb picture of woo any physia that will curo cure tho the callic drawled it a suntanned sun tanned young fellow in sergeants sergeant Is stripes and tile the doctor reined in studied tile the patient attentively ono one ino inocent ment then swung out of saddle and stepped ped to ills side ap Hs H s gravely folt felt the pulse nna and glanco clan ceil at tho the coated tongue fumbled a minute at tho the saddlebags saddle bags shirrod a win pound into a stone china cup that stood by tho the trough a compound whereof powdered sugar spring water and spirits vint gallice were the sole ingredients gred lents and in three minutes had tho the satisfaction ol of seeing the light of interesting Inte interest in life in tile tho lull dull eyes of the invalid and receiving the plaudits pl audits of half a dozen would bo be patients 1 gladly I thoy they havo have held him though irom from no hostile intent as with apparent serenity yet with thumping heart ho he rude rode away lie had heard enough to malce it expedient that ho he should move nt at once youre the first weve se seen an since wo loft left homo home copt those in tile the army sub sald said tile the young younk sergeant guess they need tom cm all youre not virginian then haz arbod denton bonton ng as ho he was waa mounting ng no still fifteenth alabama trial tilro blos bles brigade suli sub wo we blong flown down at but they sent a fow few companies out this way last night know any of the eleventh queried denton rashly yet illin thinking hing it um net tin nn wise to display some knowledge ot at to ae southern service aleut ladue of mobile lie he continued at a yon venture turo not many sub euh the thebie y ire all with gen longstreet and anderson down toward yorktown ladue aint said the sick man uplifting ills his sallow face hes on oil gen J wells staff made me ride ills his hawse this mornan morn lii an lie ho aint a mile away this ril minute laute CHAPTER XIV THROUGH tun tile anan OV 01 anra r roc 0 irl lato late that opening evening two tired steeds were painfully struggling up a stony winding pathway among tho the heights at the tha headwaters of thad tho hazel lazel dodging hamlets and settlements fording brall branch ell after branch of the Ra rapidan lic peeping ever eer to tile the wood path and byways freds black blace guide at last had landed him in a sheltered nook goolt among tit tho hills just as dar darkness liness settled down then away went hector to refill the canteen and got get such news as aa lie ho could it was late into near nine when he be C I 1 SWIFTLY r BAILING AILING came back laden oats for the horses corn dodgers for their riders and big news newa for fred the yankees pushing forward in heavy columns along the rappahannock Rappa hannock moving perhaps on culpeper they could bo be oft off at dawn and work eastward until they fell in with tile yankee cavalry that ought to be out on the right flank of Tc Dowells advance had A friend who could baw a mule male and meet them at the ford of the thornton back of sperryville Sperry vUle and show a way to tho the IT hedgman edgman after that it if hector was to go back denton would havo have to shift for himself and so eo wearied yet refreshed and full of hope fred denton benton slept until aroused by the din of dogs among the farms faima below them it was just nt at the chill of the earl earliest let dawn far down among tho the scattered settlements there came floating ting quick stirring Z ind and boating foa 8 spirited tho the soft trumpet notes of the cavalry reveille played just ns as he be had heard it played four successive mornings on journey to the railway now what could this mean but that thu tho squadron had bivouacked bivouac ked far out on their flank far li north too of the confederate positions below tho the Ra rapidan and was those these mountain by paths perhaps in search of ahlm to robertson and men of his rank the game might not bosworth bo worth the tha candle but there was that strangely vindictive fellow Lotins lounsberry berry armed with power to order hither and you yon rousing hector ho he told him of tho the now danger and tho the darl darkis tys eyes bulged in their sockets ile he was up tip and well scared in lesa lem than no time and taking bensons bentons Ben Den tons glass disappeared among the rocks and trees up tho the hillside to the west there was a lookout r ho e said in the branches of an oak from which much of the country could be seen to the southeast it was full 20 minutes later and just after benton had heard tho the distant signal boots rind and saddles from the samo same trumpet ho he came scrambling down no time tor for coffee no time lime tor for feed feeding ing or rubbing bibbing the horses lie ho said liko like as aa not these troopers would be out searching every bypath by path ile he had seen them doing tjoeng that after tile the first arst pull bull run I 1 when a dozen danl yankee ee prisoners b broke ro he way away from romi the cars at night anit and dipped kipped for the mountains they had ell but two of them bad bach inside of 22 I 1 hours hurriedly ami tiling hector then aided his charge to mount anea again led the way crool crooked iod and devious through all manner of scrub and tangle threading ravines skirting skirling clearings clea ringa and creeping ever higher toward the crest until the foothills at last were left far below then on oil again northward and so BO tortuous tortu ou oua i was their way so binany were tho the halts making on a bee line little more than a nille nu an hour they bored through tho the wilderness nes until late in the afternoon from a bare projecting ledge they obtained their first unimpeded view of the eastward and saw the north fork tho the hodgman allio illio a silver thread that night tho the moon stood high toward tile the zenith 7 ily by midnight it would sink behind tho Blue ridge and denton benton ordered forward while tho the faint light lasted despite hectora hectors Hec tors demurrer they must try to cross the If hedgman edgman while tile the moon served then hide in the woods on the further a shore h 0 r until the da lawn wit ot of another day A ride was that to the lowlands but toward ten they struck a wood path and began to stir the dogs ot of scattered homesteads in the foot hills A sudden turn of the path brought them to the edge of a clemed field and jn in view vew of a scattered shed or two then came double challenge first the impudent snarl and dabi of a brace of back country mon men grels then tile the stern halt tharl dismount of a cavalry vedette starting from the shadow of a clump of stunted trees not GO 50 feet away before hector limp and tr trembling emblin 9 could slip to earth in obedience to the order dentone dentons Ben Den tona tons hand was on ills his arm lugging him back into saddle while ills his heels made vigorous play stoop low you fool and follow he swore between his set teeth as lie ho whirled his horse about and at plunging gallop tore westward again by the way they came A shot rang out nut A bullet went whizzing into the shrubbery but before the solitary sentry could reload or tho the men from froin he picket reach him benton and hector were yards away back along the wood path and heading through the darkness for the higher refuge of tho the hills bills unwittingly they struck a northward bending path at an unseen fork forit and there as no sound of pursuit reached them benton bade hector cease hla his ter terrific rifle heeling of ills his horses ribs and gladly enough the half blown beasts camo came down to heaving walk the ill bucl luck that had lad them into the outermost picket pichet of the confederate force turned to blessing when near midnight they found themselves at an unguarded reach of this faraway far away branch of the rappahannock Rappa hannock and the thirsting horses eager for drink found their own ford to the other shore toward noon their startled ears cars caught the theo bound und of hoof boats on the hillside and there came shambling into sight a wild eyed negro on oil a remonstrant mon mule run marsol marso he cried at sight of benton run to dawds sakel sake deys hunt in every house an balm bahn just over the hill suh still and comin dis way I 1 then came a ride almost for life they turned into a lane leading away southeast southeastward wari between desolate fields halted tp tf blow their panting reeking horses at a little clump of trees near a southward sweep of the mill stream dread broad run then benton his glass and took deliberate survey of the distant hills then of 0 tho the country over which they had come and spurring like mad down a slope 0 of the heights barely three miles back of thern them carna came a dozen gray horsemen soon seen us said he as aa quietly as ho ha col could tild and hectors hectora Hec tors trembling hands helped him again to mount then away dashed the pair ifor for the first ford of the stream only to see as they rideout rods out dripping on the appo site bank that the distant fringe of the manassas woods looked far away VA aa ever oh ob tor for a sight of union flankers now A long halt half hour they rodo redo as fast as jaded steed could bear them but rectors hectors Hec tors horse horsa was waa nearly done the spare oak cal openings the scattered copses now were only hall half a mile ahead but southward cutting them oft off from bristoe galloped a jaunty halt half dozen following tile the lead of a dashing rider behind them still beyond carbine 1 range ango but slowly gaining full 20 10 troopers were spreading out over the open fields turning them as aa it were from the left the soil was gro growing 4 loose and soft and spongy now that they had loft left the lanes and every now and then they plunged through holes deep deal and treacherous but still they lashed ahead hectora hectors Hec tors poor bruto brute groaning staggering with every stride presently the ground began slowly rising and the woods grow grew thick it if only they could reach them surely tho the union pickets must be closest clo close seat at hand band and now as they drove in among the clumps of stunted trees they lost sight of the troopers to the south now the yells of those in rear became exultant and still came no shot then as 03 they struggled through a boggy slough with sickening groan hectora hectors Hec tors exhausted horse went down and floundered helpless in the mud ills his wretched rider dragging himself front from underneath and limping to the foot of a tree tell fell gap 5 and terrified oh bawd flent leave mo ma marso Dent bendoni Be oril he fIca pleaded ded in agony doan leave me or dryll kill hill me with one glance at the cheering chase one longing lodging look at the eastward slopes denton bonton sprang apran 9 from the tha saddle and with firm set lips and flashing eyes ho he planted himself between the tha yelling troopers and the prostrate helpless humble friend bursting through the trees the foremost riders drove straight at him down with that pistol shouted a voice in stern command dont shoot men hes wounded wound edl I 1 drop your pistol sub still were ten to onel one and realizing the hooe hopelessness of fight fred denton benton tossa ato kl JR weapon sf cut but what meant that sudden shot to tin the what that sputtering sputter his volley that burst of cheers tho the major the yanks come on corno come on ont were tho the shouts away darted halt the mud spattered group and then sudden as the shot in spurred a breathless young officer mount lount A sur sue instantly Instant lyl help him corporal up with you ou suhl sun wo it a moment rough powerful hands bands fairly lifted lafin into saddle another hand seized the relna reins of ills hla horse ca coma me on n now lively was the order let get him back out 0 range weve run slap into a brigade general and all oft off with you to buchland Duc kland you two the rest of you come withee with me to the major we wp do with tho nig gull damn the weve no ehno to bother with halml daring and devoted away wont went the young gallants to tho the support of their chief only to meet tho the horses tearing |