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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Young Lieutenant, by Oliver Optic
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Young Lieutenant
+       or, The Adventures of an Army Officer
+
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+
+
+Release Date: June 23, 2008  [eBook #25886]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Roger Frank, Juliet Sutherland, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT
+
+Or
+
+The Adventures of an Army Officer
+
+A Story of the Great Rebellion
+
+by
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+Author of
+"The Soldier Boy," "The Sailor Boy," "Brave Old Salt,"
+"The Yankee Middy," "Fighting Joe," etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A. L. Burt Company
+Publishers :: :: New York
+
+
+
+TO
+William A. Moulton, Esq.
+
+THIS BOOK
+IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
+
+BY HIS FRIEND
+WILLIAM T. ADAMS
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT
+OR
+THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+CAPTAIN DE BANYAN AND OTHERS
+
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir; but I see, by the number on your cap, that we
+belong to the same regiment," said an officer with two bars on his
+shoulder-straps, as he halted in the aisle of the railroad-car, near
+where Lieutenant Thomas Somers was seated. "May I be permitted to inquire
+whom I have the honor of addressing?"
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, of the ----th Massachusetts," replied the young
+gentleman addressed, as he politely touched his cap in return for the
+salutation of the other.
+
+"Ah! is it possible? I am rejoiced to meet you. I have heard of you
+before. Allow me to add in the most delicate manner, that you are a good
+fellow, a first-rate soldier, and as brave an officer as ever sported a
+pair of shoulder-straps. Permit me to offer you my hand; and allow me to
+add, that it is a hand which was never sullied by a dishonorable act."
+
+"I am happy to make your acquaintance," replied Lieutenant Somers, as he
+accepted the offered hand. "Won't you take a seat, Captain----"
+
+"Captain de Banyan, at your service," continued the officer, as he seated
+himself by the side of the young lieutenant, who was completely
+bewildered by the elegant and courtly speech of his new-found friend.
+
+If Lieutenant Somers needs any further introduction to the reader, we may
+briefly add, that he was a native of Pinchbrook, a town near Boston, in
+the State of Massachusetts. He was now entering his eighteenth year, and
+had enlisted in the great army of the Union as a private, with an earnest
+and patriotic desire to serve his imperiled country in her death-grapple
+with treason and traitors. He had won his warrant as a sergeant by
+bravery and address, and had subsequently been commissioned as a second
+lieutenant for good conduct on the bloody field of Williamsburg, where he
+had been wounded. The injury he had received, and the exhaustion
+consequent upon hard marching and the excitement of a terrible battle,
+had procured for him a furlough of thirty days. He had spent this brief
+period at home; and now, invigorated by rest and the care of loving
+friends, he was returning to the army to participate in that stupendous
+campaign which culminated in the seven-days' battles before Richmond.
+
+Inspired by the hope of honorable distinction, still more by the
+patriotic desire to serve the noblest cause for which the soldier ever
+drew a sword, he was hastening to the post of danger and duty. As the
+train hurried him by smiling fields, and through cities and villages
+whose prosperity was mysteriously interlinked with the hallowed mission
+which called him from the bosom of home and friends, his thoughts were
+those which would naturally animate the soul of a young patriot, as he
+journeyed to the battle-fields of a nation's ruin or salvation. He
+thought of the bloody scenes before him, of the blessed home behind him.
+
+Only the day before, he had made his parting visit to Lilian Ashford, who
+knit his "fighting socks," as he had called them since the eventful day
+when he had found her letter and her picture in them. Of course, he could
+not help thinking of her; and, as he had a thin stratum of sentiment in
+his composition, it is more than probable that the beautiful young lady
+monopolized more than her fair share of his thoughts; but I am sure it
+was not at all to the detriment of the affection he owed his mother and
+the other dear ones, who were shrined in the sanctuary of his heart.
+
+Lieutenant Somers was an exceedingly good-looking young man, which, as it
+was no fault of his own, we do not object to mention. He was clothed in
+his new uniform, which was very creditable to the taste and skill of his
+tailor. On his upper lip, an incipient mustache had developed itself;
+and, though it presented nothing remarkable, it gave brilliant promise of
+soon becoming all that its ambitious owner could possibly desire,
+especially as he was a reasonable person, and had no taste for
+monstrosities. He had paid proper attention to this ornamental appendage,
+which is so indispensable to the making-up of a soldier; and the result,
+if not entirely satisfactory, was at least hopeful.
+
+The subject of our remarks wore his sash and belt, and carried his sword
+in his hand, for the reason that he had no other convenient way of
+transporting them. Our natural pride, as his biographer, leads us to
+repeat that he was a fine-looking young man; and we will venture to say,
+that the young lady who occupied the seat on the opposite side of the car
+was of the same opinion. Of course, she did not stare at him; but she had
+two or three times cast a furtive glance at the young officer; though the
+operation had been so well managed, that he was entirely unconscious of
+the fact.
+
+Inasmuch as this same young lady was herself quite pretty, it is not
+supposable that she had entirely escaped the observation of our gallant
+young son of Mars. We are compelled to say he had glanced in that
+direction two or three times, to keep within the limits of a modest
+calculation; but it is our duty to add that he was not captivated, and
+that there is not the least danger of our story degenerating into a
+love-tale. Lieutenant Somers thought she was nearly as pretty as Lilian
+Ashford; and this, we solemnly declare, was the entire length and breadth
+of the sentiment he expended upon the young lady, who was certainly
+worthy of a deeper homage.
+
+She was in charge of an elderly, dignified gentleman, who had occupied
+the seat by her side until half an hour before the appearance of Captain
+de Banyan; but, being unfortunately addicted to the small vice of
+smoking, he had gone forward to the proper car to indulge his propensity.
+Lieutenant Somers had studied the faces of all the passengers near him,
+and had arrived at the conclusion that the lady's protector was a
+gentleman of consequence. He might be her father or her uncle; but he was
+a member of Congress, the governor of a State, or some high official,
+perhaps a major-general in "mufti." At any rate, our hero was interested
+in the pair, and had carried his speculations concerning them as far as
+theory can go without a few facts to substantiate it, when his
+reflections were disturbed by Captain de Banyan.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, I'm proud to know you, as I had occasion to remark
+before. I have heard of you. You distinguished yourself in the battle of
+Williamsburg," said Captain de Banyan.
+
+"You speak very handsomely of me--much better than I deserve, sir."
+
+"Not a particle, my boy. If there is a man in the army that can
+appreciate valor, that man is Captain de Banyan. You are modest,
+Lieutenant Somers--of course you are modest; all brave men are
+modest--and I forgive your blushes. I've seen service, my boy. Though not
+yet thirty-five, I served in the Crimea, in the Forty-seventh Royal
+Infantry; and was at the battles of Solferino, Magenta, Palestro, and
+others too numerous to mention."
+
+"Indeed!" exclaimed Lieutenant Somers, filled with admiration by the
+magnificent record of the captain. "Then you are not an American?"
+
+"Oh, yes, I am! I happened to be in England when the Russian war
+commenced. So, being fond of a stirring life, I entered as a private in
+the Forty-seventh. If the war had continued six months longer, I should
+have come out a brigadier-general, though. Promotion is not so rapid in
+the British army as in our own. I was at the storming of the Redan; I was
+one of the first to mount the breach. Just as I had raised my musket----"
+
+"I thought you were an officer--a colonel at least," interposed
+Lieutenant Somers.
+
+"My sword, I should have said. Just as I had raised my sword to cut down
+a Russian who threatened to bayonet me, a cannon-ball struck the butt of
+my gun----"
+
+"Your gun?"
+
+"The handle of my sword, I should have said, and snapped it off like a
+pipe-stem."
+
+"But didn't it snap your hand off too?" asked the lieutenant, rather
+bewildered by the captain's statements.
+
+"Not at all; that is the most wonderful part of the story. It didn't even
+graze my skin."
+
+"That was very remarkable," added Lieutenant Somers, who could not see,
+for the life of him, how a cannon-ball could hit the handle of the sword
+without injuring the hand which grasped it.
+
+"It was very remarkable, indeed; but I was reminded of the circumstance
+by the remembrance that you were hit in the head by a bullet, which did
+not kill you. I shouldn't have mentioned the affair if I hadn't called to
+mind my own experience; for life yourself, Somers, I am a modest man; in
+fact, every brave man is necessarily a modest man."
+
+"Were you ever wounded, Captain de Banyan?"
+
+"Bless you, half a dozen times. At Magenta, the same bullet passed twice
+through my body."
+
+"The same bullet?"
+
+"Yes, sir--the same bullet. I'll tell you how it happened. I was in the
+heavy artillery there. The bullet of the Russian--"
+
+"The Russian! Why, I thought the battle of Magenta was fought between the
+Austrians and the French."
+
+"You are right, my boy. The bullet of the Austrian, I should have said,
+passed through my left lung, struck the cannon behind me, bounded back,
+and hitting me again, passed through my right lung. When it came out, it
+hit my musket, and dropped upon the ground. I picked it up, and have it
+at home now."
+
+"Whew!" added Lieutenant Somers in a low whisper. "It's quite warm
+to-day," he continued, trying to turn off the remark.
+
+"Very warm, indeed."
+
+"But didn't you fall after the ball had passed through both your lungs?"
+
+"Not at all. I walked five miles to the hospital. On my way, I met the
+Emperor Napoleon, who got off his horse, and thanked me for the valor I
+had displayed, and conferred on me the medal of the Legion of Honor. I
+keep the medal in the same bag with the bullet."
+
+"Then you have actually shaken hands with the Emperor of France?" cried
+the amazed lieutenant.
+
+"Yes; and King Victor Emmanuel called to see me in the hospital, where I
+was confined for five weeks. At Solferino, both their majesties shook
+hands with me, and thanked me again for my services. Being a modest man,
+I shouldn't want to say out loud that I saved the day for the French and
+Sardinians at Solferino. At any rate, their majesties did the handsome
+thing by me on that day."
+
+"I thought you were in the hospital five weeks after Magenta."
+
+"So I was; and well do I remember the little delicacies sent me by the
+King of Italy while I lay there on my back. Ah! that Victor Emmanuel is a
+noble fellow. At Solferino, he----"
+
+"But how could you have been at Solferino, if you were in the hospital
+five weeks?"
+
+"I did not die of my wounds, it is scarcely necessary for me to remark. I
+got well."
+
+"But the battle of Solferino was fought on the 20th of June, and that of
+Magenta on the 4th of June. There were only twenty days between the
+battles."
+
+"You are right, Somers. I have made some mistake in the dates. I never
+was good at remembering them. When I was in college, the professors used
+to laugh at me for forgetting the date of the Christian Era. By the way,
+do you smoke, Somers? Let's go into the smoking-car, and have a cigar."
+
+"I thank you; I never smoke."
+
+"Ah! you are worse than a hot potato. But I am dying for a smoke; and, if
+you will excuse me, I will go forward. I will see you again before we get
+to New York."
+
+Captain de Banyan, apparently entirely satisfied with himself, rose from
+his seat, and sauntered gracefully forward to the door of the car,
+through which he disappeared, leaving Lieutenant Somers busy in a vain
+endeavor to crowd five weeks in between the 4th and the 20th of June. The
+captain was certainly a pleasant and voluble person, and Somers had
+enjoyed the interview; though he could not repress a rising curiosity to
+see the bullet which had passed twice through the body of the valiant
+soldier, and the medal of the Legion of Honor conferred upon him by his
+imperial majesty the Emperor of France.
+
+Some painful doubts in regard to the truth of Captain de Banyan's
+remarkable experience were beginning to intrude themselves into his mind;
+and it is quite probable that he would have been hurled into an unhappy
+state of skepticism, if the train in which he was riding had not been
+suddenly hurled down an embankment some twenty feet in height, where the
+cars were piled up in shapeless wrecks, and human beings, full of life
+and hope a moment before, were suddenly ushered into eternity, or maimed
+and mangled for life.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE SENATOR'S DAUGHTER
+
+
+A scene terribly beyond the power of description was presented to the
+gaze of Lieutenant Somers when he recovered his scattered senses. The car
+had been literally wrenched to pieces, and the passengers were partially
+buried beneath the fragments. Our traveler was stunned by the shock, and
+made giddy by the wild vaulting of the car as it leaped down the
+embankment to destruction. He was bruised and lacerated; but he was not
+seriously injured. He did not make the mistake which many persons do
+under such trying circumstances, of believing that they are killed; or,
+if their senses belie this impression, that they shall die within a brief
+period.
+
+Lieutenant Somers was endowed with a remarkable degree of self-possession,
+and never gave up anything as long as there was any chance of holding on.
+He saw a great many stars not authenticated in any respectable catalogue
+of celestial luminaries. His thoughts, and even his vitality, seemed to be
+suspended for an instant; but the thoughts came back, and the stream of
+life still flowed on, notwithstanding the rude assault which had been made
+upon his corporal frame.
+
+Finding that he was not killed, he struggled out from beneath the wreck
+which had overwhelmed him. His first consideration, after he had assured
+himself that he was comparatively uninjured, was for those who were his
+fellow-passengers on this race to ruin and death; and perhaps it is not
+strange that the fair young lady who had occupied the opposite seat in
+the car came to his mind. Men and women were disengaging themselves from
+the shapeless rubbish. Some wept, some groaned, and some were motionless
+and silent.
+
+He did not see the fair stranger among those who were struggling back to
+consciousness. A portion of the top of the car lay near him, which he
+raised up. It rested heavily upon the form of a maiden, which he at once
+recognized by the dress to be that of the gentle stranger. The sight
+roused all his energies; and he felt that strength which had fired his
+muscles when he trod the field of battle. With desperate eagerness, he
+raised the heavy fragment which was crowding out the young life of the
+tender form, and bore it away, so that she was released from its cruel
+pressure.
+
+She, poor girl! felt it not; for her eyes were closed, and her marble
+cheek was stained with blood. The young officer, tenderly interested in
+her fate, bent over her, and raised the inanimate form. He bore it in his
+arms to a green spot, away from the scattered fragments of the train, and
+laid it gently down upon the bosom of mother earth. By all the means
+within his power, he endeavored to convince himself that death had not
+yet invaded the lovely temple of her being. But still she was silent and
+motionless. There was not a sign by which he could determine the
+momentous question.
+
+He was unwilling to believe that the beautiful stranger was dead. It
+seemed too hard and cruel that one so young and fair should be thus
+rudely hurried out of existence, without a mother or even a father near
+to receive her last gaze on earth, and listen to the soft sigh with which
+she breathed forth her last throb of existence. He had a telescopic
+drinking-cup in his pocket, with which he hastened to a brook that flowed
+through the valley. Filling it with water, he returned to his charge. He
+sprinkled her face, and rubbed her temples, and exerted himself to the
+best of his knowledge and ability to awaken some signs of life.
+
+The task seemed hopeless; and he was about to abandon it in despair, to
+render assistance to those who needed it more than the fair, silent form
+before him, when an almost imperceptible sigh gladdened his heart, and
+caused him to renew his exertions. Procuring another cup of water, he
+persistently sprinkled the fair face and chafed the temples of his
+charge. With his handkerchief he washed away the blood-stains, and
+ascertained that she was only slightly cut just above the ear.
+
+Cheered by the success which had rewarded his efforts, he continued to
+bathe and chafe till the gentle stranger opened her eyes. In a few
+moments more she recovered her consciousness, and cast a bewildered
+glance around her.
+
+"Where is my father?" said she; and, as she spoke, the fearful nature of
+the catastrophe dawned upon her mind, and she partially rose from her
+recumbent posture.
+
+Lieutenant Somers could not tell where her father was, and his first
+thought was that he must be beneath the wreck of the shattered cars. For
+the first time, he looked about him to measure with his eye the extent of
+the calamity. At that moment he discovered the engine, with the forward
+part of the train, backing down the railroad. Only the two rear cars had
+been precipitated over the embankment; the accident having been caused by
+the breaking of an axle on the last car but one. The shackle connecting
+this with the next one had given way, and the broken car had darted off
+the bank, carrying the rear one with it, while the rest of the train
+dashed on to its destination.
+
+Of course the calamity was immediately discovered; but a considerable
+time elapsed--as time was measured by those who were suffering and dying
+beneath the _débris_ of the train--before the engine could be stopped,
+and backed to the scene of the accident. Lieutenant Somers had seen the
+lady's father go forward, and had heard him say he was going to the
+smoking-car; he was therefore satisfied that he was safe.
+
+"He will be here presently," he replied to the anxious question of the
+fair stranger.
+
+"Perhaps he was--oh, dear! Perhaps he was----"
+
+"Oh, no! he wasn't. The smoking-car was not thrown off the track,"
+interposed the young officer, promptly removing from her mind the
+terrible fear which took possession of her first conscious moments. "Are
+you much hurt?"
+
+"I don't know; I don't think I am; but one of my arms feels very numb."
+
+"Let me examine it," continued our traveler, tenderly raising the injured
+member.
+
+He was not deeply skilled in surgery; but he knew enough of the mysteries
+of anatomy to discover that the arm was broken between the elbow and the
+shoulder.
+
+"I am afraid your arm is broken," said he cautiously, as though he feared
+the announcement would cause her to faint again.
+
+"I am glad it is no worse," said she with a languid smile, and without
+exhibiting the least indication of feminine weakness.
+
+"It might have been worse, certainly. Can I do anything more for you?"
+added Lieutenant Somers, glancing at the wreck of the cars, with a
+feeling that his duty then was a less pleasing one than that of attending
+to the wants of the beautiful stranger; for there were still men and
+women lying helpless and unserved in the midst of the ruins.
+
+The train stopped upon the road; and the passengers, though appalled by
+the sight, rushed down the bank to render willing assistance to the
+sufferers. Among them was the father of the young lady, who leaped
+frantically down the steep, and passed from one to another of the forms
+which the survivors had taken from the wreck.
+
+"There is your father," said Lieutenant Somers as he recognized him among
+the excited passengers. "I will go and tell him where you are."
+
+"Do, if you please," replied the lady faintly.
+
+He ran to the distracted parent, and seized him by the arm as he dashed
+from one place to another in search of the gentle maiden whose life was
+part of his own.
+
+"Your daughter is out here, sir," said Lieutenant Somers, pointing to the
+spot where he had borne her.
+
+"My daughter!" gasped the agonized father. "Where--where?"
+
+"In this direction, sir."
+
+"Is she--O Heaven, spare me!" groaned he.
+
+"She is hurt, but I think not very badly. Her left arm is broken, and her
+head is slightly cut."
+
+"O God, I thank Thee!" gasped the father, as he walked with the
+lieutenant to the place where the young lady was sitting on the grass.
+
+"I think you need not be alarmed about her," added our officer, anxious
+to console the suffering parent.
+
+"My poor Emmie!" exclaimed the anxious father when they reached the spot,
+while he knelt down upon the grass by her side, the tears coursing in
+torrents down his pale cheeks.
+
+"Don't be alarmed, father," replied she, putting her uninjured arm around
+his neck and kissing him, while their tears mingled. "I am not much hurt,
+father."
+
+Lieutenant Somers had a heart as well as a strong and willing arm, and he
+could not restrain his own tears as he witnessed the touching scene. The
+meeting seemed to be so sacred to him, that he could not stand an idle
+gazer upon the expression of that hallowed affection as it flowed from
+the warm hearts of the father and daughter.
+
+"As I can be of no further service here, I will go and do what I can for
+those who need my help. If you want any assistance, I shall be close at
+hand," said he, as he walked away to the busy scene of woe which
+surrounded the wreck.
+
+The wounded, the maimed, and the dead were rapidly taken from the pile of
+ruins, and placed in the cars on the road; and there was no longer
+anything for the young officer to do. He returned to the grassy couch of
+her whom he could not but regard as peculiarly his patient. The father
+had recovered his self-possession, and satisfied himself that Emmie was
+not more seriously injured than her deliverer had declared.
+
+"My young friend, while I thank God that my daughter is still alive, I am
+very grateful to you for the care you have bestowed upon her," said the
+father, as he grasped the young officer's hand.
+
+"You may well thank him, Mr. Guilford," said one of the two gentlemen who
+had followed the young officer to the spot; "for the first thing I saw,
+when I came out from under the ruins, was this young man lifting half the
+top of the car off your daughter."
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir, but I think we should convey the young lady up
+to the cars; for I see they are about ready to start," said Lieutenant
+Somers, blushing up to the eyes.
+
+"I thank you, young man," added Mr. Guilford with deep feeling. "I must
+see you again, and know more about you. Emmie has told me how kind you
+have been to her; and you may be sure I shall never forget it while I
+live. How do you feel now, Emmie?"
+
+"My arm begins to pain me a little," she answered languidly.
+
+"We must put you into the car, and in a short time we shall be able to do
+something for you."
+
+"I will carry her up to the train, sir," said the young officer.
+
+"I thank you, sir," said Emmie with a smile; "but I think I can walk."
+
+"Well," said the gentleman who had spoken before, "I saw him carry you
+from the wreck to this place; and I am bound to say, I never saw a mother
+handle her baby more tenderly."
+
+"I am very grateful to him for what he has done for me," added Emmie with
+a slight blush; "and if I needed his services, I certainly should accept
+his kind offer."
+
+She took the arm of her father, and walked very well till she came to the
+steep bank, whose ascent required more strength than she then possessed.
+Her father and Lieutenant Somers then made a "hand-chair," and bore her
+up to the car, in which she was as comfortably disposed as the
+circumstances would permit. The train started with its melancholy freight
+of wounded, dead and dying.
+
+"I see, sir, you are an officer in the army," said Mr. Guilford as the
+train moved off; "but I have not yet learned your name."
+
+"Thomas Somers, sir," replied our young officer.
+
+"I must trouble you to write it down for me, with your residence when at
+home, and your regiment in the field."
+
+Lieutenant Somers complied with this request, and in return the gentleman
+gave him his address.
+
+"I shall never forget you, Lieutenant Somers," said Mr. Guilford when he
+had carefully deposited the paper in his memorandum-book. "I have it in
+my power to be of service to you; and if you ever want a friend, I shall
+consider it a favor if you will come to me, or write to me."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I am very much obliged to you. But I hope you won't
+consider yourself under any obligations to me for what I have done. I
+couldn't have helped doing it if I had tried."
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, you are in luck," said the gentleman who had
+accompanied him before. "That is Senator Guilford, of ----, and he will
+make a brigadier-general of you before you are a year older."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A FRIEND AT COURT
+
+
+Lieutenant Somers sat down in one corner of the car, near the seats
+occupied by Miss Guilford and her father. He was just beginning to be
+conscious of the fact that he had done a "big thing;" not because he had
+helped one of God's suffering creatures, but because she happened to be a
+Senator's daughter. But he still had the happy reflection, that what he
+had done had been prompted by motives of humanity, not by the love of
+applause, or for the purpose of winning the favor of a great man who
+could dispense the "loaves and fishes" when he should need them.
+
+He was rather sensitive. He was a young man of eighteen, and he had not
+yet become familiar with the grossness and selfishness of this
+calculating world. He was rather offended at the patronage which the
+Senator had proposed to bestow upon him, and he even regretted that he
+had so readily given him his address.
+
+Lieutenant Somers regarded himself as emphatically a fighting officer;
+and the idea of working his way up to distinction by the favor of a
+member of Congress was repulsive to him. He really wished the Hon. Mr.
+Guilford had only thanked him for what he had done, and not said a word
+about having it in his power to be of service to him.
+
+While he was meditating upon the events which had transpired, and the
+Senator's patronizing offer, he saw Captain de Banyan enter the forward
+door of the car through which the gentleman who had taken so much pains
+to compliment the young officer had disappeared a short time before. The
+distinguished captain walked through the car directly to the seat of the
+lieutenant, who had not even yet ceased to blush under the praises which
+had been bestowed upon him.
+
+"Somers, your hand," said he, extending his own. "I have heard all about
+it, and am proud that our regiment has furnished so brave and devoted a
+man. Oh, don't blush, my dear fellow! You are a modest man. I sympathize
+with you; for I am a modest man myself. I didn't get over blushing for
+three weeks after his imperial majesty, the Emperor of France,
+complimented me for some little thing I did at the battle of Palestro."
+
+"I thought that was at Magenta," added Somers.
+
+"So it was. The fact is, I have been in a great many battles, and I get
+them mixed up a little sometimes. But you are in luck, Somers," continued
+the captain in a lower tone, as he seated himself by the side of his
+fellow-officer.
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"They say she is the daughter of a Senator."
+
+"What of that?"
+
+"What of that! Why, my dear fellow, you are as innocent as a school girl.
+Don't you see he can get you on some general's staff, and have you
+promoted every time there is a skirmish?"
+
+"I don't want to be promoted unless I earn it."
+
+"Of course you don't; but every officer that earns it won't get it. By
+the way, Somers, can't you introduce me to the old gentleman?"
+
+"I never saw him before in my life."
+
+"No matter for that. I'll warrant you, he'll be glad to make all your
+friends his friends."
+
+"But I don't feel enough acquainted with him to introduce a gentleman
+whom I never saw in my life till two hours ago."
+
+"You are right, my dear fellow; excuse me," replied Captain de Banyan,
+looking very much disappointed. "I dare say, if I should show him the
+autograph of the Emperor of France, he would be very glad to know me."
+
+"No doubt of it. At any rate, I recommend you to make the trial."
+
+"Yes; but the mischief of it is, I have left all those papers at home."
+
+"That's unfortunate," added Lieutenant Somers, who had some serious
+doubts in regard to the existence of those papers.
+
+"So it is. If I had been lucky enough to have made the acquaintance of
+that young lady, as you have, I would not let my aspirations stop short
+of the stars of a major-general."
+
+"You need not as it is, if you do your duty."
+
+"Ah! my dear fellow, you are as sentimental as a girl of sixteen. I am a
+modest man; but, in my estimation, there are ten thousand men in the army
+as good as I am. They can't all be major-generals, can they?"
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+"Then, if you live a few months longer, you will find out how good a
+thing it is to have a friend at court. You are a modest young man; but I
+suppose you think there isn't another man in the army who is quite your
+equal, and that your merit and your bravery will make a brigadier of you
+in less than a year. It's a good thing to think so; but----"
+
+"I don't think so. That would be modesty with a vengeance."
+
+"I was a sentimental boy like you once, and I was just as certain that I
+should be made a field-marshal, and have the command of the French army
+in the Crimea----"
+
+"I thought you were in the English army in the Crimea," interposed the
+young lieutenant, eager to change the subject.
+
+"Certainly, in the English army; that's what I said," continued the
+gallant captain, entirely unmoved by the interruption. "I was just as
+sure of having the command of the British army in the Crimea as you are
+of becoming a brigadier by the time we get into Richmond. But I have no
+friends at court as you have now."
+
+"I never thought of such a thing as being a brigadier," protested Somers.
+"I never even expected to become a second lieutenant."
+
+"It isn't much to be a brigadier. I served with 'Old Rosey' in West
+Virginia for a time. We had a captain there who didn't know any more
+about military than a swine does about Lord Chesterfield's table
+etiquette. He went into action with a cane in his hand, hawbucking his
+company about just as a farmer does a yoke of cattle. That fellow is a
+brigadier-general now; and there's hope for you and me, if we can only
+have a friend at court."
+
+"I am higher now than I ever expected to be, and I wouldn't give a straw
+for fifty friends at court."
+
+"That's because you are sentimental; but you'll get over that."
+
+"Lieutenant Somers," said Senator Guilford, who had risen from his seat,
+and approached that occupied by the two officers, "I shall leave the
+train at the next stopping-place, in order to procure proper medical
+attendance for my daughter. I desire again to express my thanks to you
+for the signal service you have rendered to my daughter."
+
+Our hero blushed again, and stammered out some deprecatory remark.
+
+"When you are in Washington, you must call and see me. You must promise
+this for Emmie's sake, if not for mine," added the Senator.
+
+"I should be very happy to call," replied the young officer.
+
+"My friend Lieutenant Somers is as bashful as a maiden of sweet sixteen,"
+interposed Captain de Banyan. "I beg your pardon, Mr. Guilford; though
+your name and fame are familiar to me, I have not the honor of your
+personal acquaintance; but, under the circumstances, I shall make it part
+of my duty to see that my friend does not neglect your reasonable
+request."
+
+"Thank you, sir," replied the Senator.
+
+"Captain de Banyan, at your service," added the modest officer who had
+served in Italy and the Crimea.
+
+"Thank you, Captain de Banyan. I see you are in the same regiment with
+Lieutenant Somers."
+
+"Yes, sir, I have that honor; and I assure you there is not a nobler and
+braver young officer in the Army of the Potomac. He reminds me very much
+of a splendid fellow I served with in the Crimea."
+
+"Ah! you were in the Crimea?"
+
+"I was, sir; and he looks very much like Captain de Waite, whom I saw
+made a major on the field of Magenta, for the most daring bravery, by the
+Emperor of France."
+
+"You have seen service, captain," added the Senator.
+
+"A little, sir."
+
+"You must speak with my daughter, lieutenant, before we part," continued
+Mr. Guilford. "Her gratitude has no limit."
+
+Lieutenant Somers was astounded by the effrontery of his military
+companion, who had claimed to be his friend, and forced himself upon the
+acquaintance of the powerful man on the strength of that intimacy; had
+even brought to his notice the fact--if it was a fact--that he had been
+at Magenta and in the Crimea. The simple-minded young man had seen no
+such diplomacy in Pinchbrook, or in the course of his travels in Maryland
+and Virginia; and he was fearful that the audacious fellow would dare to
+address the daughter as he had the father.
+
+"Be seated," said the Senator, as he pointed to the seat in front of Miss
+Emmie.
+
+She was pale, and appeared to be suffering from the pain of her broken
+arm; but she bestowed a sweet smile upon him as he took the proffered
+seat.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, after what I have heard from Mr. Holman"--that was
+the gentleman who had spoken so handsomely of him--"I feel sure that I
+owe my life to you."
+
+"I think not, Miss Guilford," replied the lieutenant, very much
+embarrassed. "I only pulled you out from the ruins; I couldn't have
+helped doing it if I had tried; and I hope you won't feel under any
+obligations to me."
+
+"But I do feel under very great obligations to you, and I assure you I am
+happy to owe my life to so brave and gallant a soldier."
+
+Somers felt just as though he was reading an exciting chapter in a
+sensational novel; though he could not help thinking of Lilian Ashford,
+and thus spoiling all the romance of the affair. He made no reply to Miss
+Emmie's pretty speech; it was utterly impossible for him to do so; and
+therein he differed from all the heroes of the novels.
+
+"I want to hear from you some time, and even to see you again. You must
+promise to call and see me when we get to Washington."
+
+"I may not be able to leave my regiment at that time."
+
+"Oh! my father will get you a furlough any time you want one."
+
+Lieutenant Somers thought he would like to see himself asking a furlough
+to enable him to visit a young lady in Washington, even if she was a
+Senator's daughter; but he promised to call at Mr. Guilford's whenever he
+happened to be at the capital, which was entirely satisfactory to the
+young lady. Though Emmie was by this time suffering severely, she managed
+to say several pleasant things; and among them she hinted that her father
+could make a brigadier as easily as a tinker could make a tin kettle.
+
+The train arrived at the stopping-place; and Mr. Guilford, with the
+assistance of Lieutenant Somers, placed his daughter in a carriage.
+Captain de Banyan was very anxious to assist in the operation; but the
+sufferer declined. They parted with a renewed promise on the part of the
+young officer to visit her in Washington, whenever his duty called him to
+that city. The cars arrived in New York two hours behind time--too late
+to connect with the train for Philadelphia. Captain de Banyan proposed,
+as they were obliged to remain in the city over night, that they should
+stop at the "Fifth Avenue," declaring that it was the best hotel in New
+York. Somers objected; hoping that he should thus escape the society of
+the captain, who appeared to be altogether too "fast" for his time.
+
+De Banyan was accommodating; and, when the lieutenant mentioned a small
+hotel downtown, he readily agreed to the proposition, and Somers found it
+useless to attempt to get rid of him. The captain, for some reason or
+other, appeared to have taken a decided liking to our officer. Perhaps he
+hoped to share with him the powerful patronage of Senator Guilford.
+
+After supper, Captain de Banyan proposed that they should go out and see
+the "elephant;" but Somers, having no taste for the study of this
+description of natural history, positively declined to see the
+metaphorical monster.
+
+"We must go somewhere," persisted the captain, taking up a newspaper.
+"Here's a 'Lecture on the Battle of Bull Run, by Lieutenant-Colonel
+Staggerback, who participated in that memorable action,'" he continued,
+reading from the paper.
+
+"I was in that battle myself; I don't object to that," replied Somers.
+
+"Good! Then we'll go."
+
+They walked up Broadway till they came to one of those gaudy saloons
+where rum and ruin are tricked out in the gayest of colors.
+
+"We are early for the lecture, Somers. Let's go in here, and see what
+there is to be seen."
+
+"No, I thank you; I don't care about going into any of these dens of vice
+and sin."
+
+               "'Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
+               As, to be hated, needs but to be seen,'"
+
+repeated the captain with dramatic force.
+
+                        "'But seen too oft----'
+
+You needn't see it but once. Don't you want to see the lions of the
+metropolis?"
+
+"Don't object to the lions; but, in my opinion, you will find only the
+donkeys in there."
+
+"Let us see, at any rate."
+
+"I will go in for a moment," replied Somers, who did not like to seem
+over-squeamish.
+
+They entered this outer gate to ruin. There was a bar at the end next to
+the street, while at the other end a band of music was playing the
+national airs. It looked like a very pleasant place to the young
+lieutenant, who had never entered one of these saloons before.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE FIRE OF TEMPTATION
+
+
+Captain de Banyan sauntered gracefully up the saloon, with Somers at his
+side. He appeared to be perfectly at home, and to have all the ease and
+finish of a thorough man of the world. His movements were calculated to
+make a sensation; and, as he passed along, old topers and gay young
+bloods paused to glance at him. If the captain had been in command of the
+Army of the Potomac, his elevated position would hardly have justified a
+more extensive flourish than he made.
+
+Lieutenant Somers was duly impressed by the magnificence of his
+companion, though the surroundings of the place created some painful
+misgivings in his mind. The captain sat down at one of the little tables
+where the frequenters of the saloon who were disposed to prolong the
+enjoyment of their drams discussed "juleps," "cobblers," and other
+villainous compounds.
+
+Somers could not do less than seat himself at the other side of the
+table. He was ill at ease, even while he was endeavoring to seem
+indifferent and at home. I am sorry to say he was haunted by that
+abominable bugbear which often takes possession of the minds of young men
+when they find themselves in the presence of those who are adepts in the
+arts of vice--a fear of being thought "green," "verdant," or being
+measured by some other adjective used in fast circles to caricature the
+innocence of a soul unsullied by contact with the vices and follies of
+the city. He half expected that some of the dissolute young wretches who
+were drinking, swearing, and pouring the filth of a poisoned mind from
+their lips, would ask him if "his mother knew he was out." He tried to
+maintain his self-possession, and to seem at home where ruin was rioting
+in the souls of young men. If he did not entirely succeed, it was all the
+more to his credit.
+
+"What will you take?" demanded Captain de Banyan, after they had sat at
+the table long enough to examine the prominent features of the saloon.
+
+"Take a walk," replied Lieutenant Somers.
+
+"No, no! What will you drink?"
+
+"Nothing, thank you. I've just been to supper, and don't want anything."
+
+"Yes; but people who come in here, and listen to the music, are expected
+to patronize the establishment. I'm going to have a brandy smash: shall I
+order one for you?"
+
+"No, I thank you."
+
+"But I can't drink alone."
+
+"I never drink."
+
+"Nonsense! A lieutenant in our regiment, and not drink! I see! You
+haven't learned yet; but it won't take you long. Your case is exactly my
+own. I was about your age when I went to the Crimea, and didn't know wine
+from brandy. After the battle of Balaclava, where I did some little thing
+which excited the admiration of the nobs in command, Lord Raglan sent for
+me, and invited me to take a glass of wine with him. Of course, I could
+not refuse his lordship, especially as he was in the very act of
+complimenting me for what he was pleased to call my gallant conduct. I
+drank my first glass of wine then. It was Sicily Madeira, and light,
+sweet wine; and, my dear fellow, you shall begin with the same, and we
+will drink the health of Senator Guilford and his fair daughter. Waiter,
+one brandy smash and one Sicily Madeira."
+
+"Really, Captain de Banyan, you must excuse me," stammered Somers,
+completely bewildered by the eloquent and insinuating manners of his
+brilliant companion, who had spoken loud enough to attract the attention
+of a dozen idlers greedy for excitement of any kind, and to whom the
+latter part of his remarks seemed to be addressed, rather than to the
+timid young man in front of him.
+
+Captain de Banyan appeared to have a point to carry; which was nothing
+less than to overcome the conscientious scruples of the young officer. He
+had spoken loud enough to attract the attention of these miserable
+tipplers, that Somers might be over-awed by their presence, and
+intimidated by their sneers, and thus compelled to taste the intoxicating
+cup. The squad of fast men who had taken positions near the table were
+interested in the scene, and impatient to see the pure soul tumbled from
+its lofty eminence.
+
+"Here's the nectar!" almost shouted the captain as the waiter placed the
+drinks upon the table. "Wine for you; brandy for me. You will be promoted
+to brandy one of these days, my boy, when your head is stronger and your
+nerves stiffer. Lieutenant Somers, here's to the health of the patriot
+statesman, Senator Guilford, and his lovely daughter;" and the captain
+pushed aside the straw in the vile compound, and raised the glass to his
+lips.
+
+Somers was embarrassed at his position, and bewildered by the dashing
+speeches of his companion. A dozen pair of leering eyes were fixed upon
+him; a dozen mouths were wrinkled into sottish smiles, called up by his
+sufferings at that critical moment. He reached forth his hand, and
+grasped the slender stem of the wine-glass; but his arm trembled more
+than that of the most hardened toper in the group before him. He had been
+trembling in the presence of that squad of tyrants--those leer-eyed
+grinning debauchees, who seemed to be opening the gate of hell, and
+bidding him enter.
+
+"Tom Somers," said the still small voice which had spoken to him a
+thousand times before in the perils and temptations through which he had
+passed, "you have behaved yourself very well thus far. You have been
+promoted for bravery on the battlefield; and now will you cower in the
+presence of this brilliant brawler, and these weak-minded, cowardly
+tipplers? What would your mother say if she could see you now, with your
+shaking hand fastened to the wine-cup? What would Lilian Ashford say?
+Dare you drink the health of Emmie Guilford in such a place as this? You
+should have smote the lips that mentioned her name in such a presence!"
+
+He drew back his hand from the glass. His muscles tightened up, as they
+had on the bloody field of Williamsburg. Tom Somers was himself again.
+
+"Come, Somers, you don't drink," added the captain sarcastically.
+
+"No, I thank you; I never drink," he answered resolutely, as he cast a
+steady glance of pity and contempt at the bloated crew who had been
+reveling in his embarrassment.
+
+"You won't refuse now?"
+
+"Most decidedly."
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, I took you for a young man of pluck. I'm
+disappointed. You will pardon me, my dear fellow; but I can't help
+regarding your conduct as rather shabby."
+
+"I never drink, as I have said before, and I do not intend to begin now.
+If I have been shabby, I hope you will excuse me."
+
+"Certainly I will excuse you, when you atone for your folly, and drink
+with me."
+
+The spectators laughed, and evidently thought the captain had made a
+point.
+
+"Then I can never atone for my folly, as you call it," replied Somers,
+his courage increasing as the trial demanded it.
+
+"What would Lord Raglan have said if I had refused to drink his Sicily
+Madeira?"
+
+"Very likely he would have said just what you said; but there would have
+been no more sense in it then than now."
+
+"Bully for young 'un!" said a seedy dandy, whose love of fancy drinks had
+made a compromise with his love of dress.
+
+"I will leave it to these gentlemen to decide whether I have not spoken
+reason and good sense."
+
+"I will leave you and these _gentlemen_ to settle that question to suit
+yourselves, and I will bid you good-evening," said Somers, rising from
+his chair.
+
+The unpleasant emphasis which he placed upon the word "gentlemen" created
+a decided sensation among the group of idlers; and, as he stepped from
+behind the table, he was confronted by a young man with bloodshot eyes
+and bloated cheeks, but dressed in the extreme of fashion.
+
+"Sir, you wear the colors of the United States Army," said the juvenile
+tippler; "but you can't be permitted to insult a gentleman with
+impunity."
+
+Lieutenant Somers wanted to laugh in the face of this specimen of
+bar-room chivalry, for he forcibly reminded him of a belligerent little
+bantam-rooster that paraded the barnyard of his mother's cottage at
+Pinchbrook; but he was prudent enough not to give any further cause of
+offense. Bestowing one glance at this champion of the tippler's coterie,
+he turned aside, and attempted to move towards the door.
+
+"Stop, sir," continued the young man, who plainly wanted to make a little
+capital out of a fight, in defense of the dignity of his friends. "You
+can't go without an apology, or--or a fight," added the bully, shaking
+his head significantly, as he placed himself in front of the young
+lieutenant.
+
+"What am I to apologize for?" asked Somers.
+
+"You insulted the whole party of us. You intimated that we were no
+gentlemen."
+
+"I haven't spoken to any of you since I came in," protested Somers. "I
+never had anything to do with you, and I don't know whether you are
+gentlemen or not."
+
+"You hear that, gentlemen!" added the bully.
+
+"I think I have said all that is necessary to say; with your leave I will
+go," said Somers.
+
+"Stop, sir!" snarled the young ruffian, putting his hand on the
+lieutenant's collar.
+
+"Take your hand off!" said he sternly.
+
+The fellow complied.
+
+"This thing has gone far enough, sir," said Captain de Banyan, stepping
+between Somers and his assailant. "Lieutenant Somers is my friend; and,
+if you put the weight of your little finger upon him, I'll annihilate you
+quicker than I did a certain Austrian field-marshal at the battle of
+Solferino. Gentlemen, permit me to apologize for my inexperienced friend
+if he has uttered any indiscreet word."
+
+"He must apologize!" blustered the young ruffian. "He says we are no
+gentlemen. Let him prove it."
+
+"You have proved it yourself, you little ape," replied the captain, as he
+stepped up to the bar, and paid his reckoning, bestowing no more
+attention upon the ruffled little bully than if he had been a very small
+puppy; which perhaps he was not, by a strict construction of terms.
+
+"I demand satisfaction!" roared the flashy little toper. "Apologize, or
+fight!"
+
+"Neither, my gay and festive lark," said the captain with abundant good
+humor, as he took Somers's arm, and sauntered leisurely towards the door.
+"Now, my dear fellow, we will go and hear what Lieutenant-Colonel
+Staggerback has to say about the battle of Bull Run. I was in that
+action, and rallied the Fire Zouaves when Colonel Ellsworth was killed."
+
+"Colonel Ellsworth! He wasn't killed at Bull Run!" exclaimed Somers,
+astonished beyond measure at the singular character which his companion
+was developing.
+
+"You are right; he was killed at Ball's Bluff."
+
+"I think not; but were you at Bull Run?"
+
+"Certainly I was. I was on General Frémont's staff."
+
+"Were you, indeed? Whew!"
+
+"What may be the precise meaning of that whistle? Do you think I was not
+there?"
+
+"Well, I don't remember to have seen you there?"
+
+"Very likely you did not; but you will call to mind the fact, that things
+were rather mixed up in that action. But never mind that: we will talk
+those things over when we get down upon the Peninsula, and have nothing
+else to think about. Do you really mean to say, my dear fellow, that you
+never drink at all?"
+
+"I do not."
+
+"Well, I have heard of a man climbing up to the moon on a greased
+rainbow; but I never heard of an officer before that didn't drink."
+
+"I'm afraid you haven't been very careful in the choice of your
+companions. I know a great many that never taste liquor under any
+circumstances."
+
+"It may be so; and I am willing to confess that I have found one. I
+wouldn't have believed it before if I had read it in the Constitution of
+the United States. I owe you an apology, then, for letting on in that
+saloon. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, my dear fellow; but I
+thought you were joking."
+
+"I hope you will not repeat the experiment, then; though I shall consider
+myself fair game if I ever enter another rum-shop," replied Somers.
+
+They proceeded to the place designated for the lecture; and Captain de
+Banyan betrayed his interest in that memorable battle, where he had
+served on the staff of General Frémont, by going to sleep before the
+eloquent "participant" had got half-way through the exordium. Lieutenant
+Somers listened attentively until he was satisfied that Colonel
+Staggerback either was not in the battle, or that he had escorted "Bull
+Run Russell" off the field.
+
+When the lecture was finished, Somers awakened his edified companion, and
+they returned to the hotel; though the captain hinted several times on
+the way that the "elephant" could be seen to better advantage in New York
+than in any other city in the Union. The young lieutenant had an utter
+disgust for the elephant, and took no hints. Before he retired that
+night, he thanked God, more earnestly and devoutly than usual, that he
+had been enabled to pass unscathed through the fires of temptation. He
+was still in condition to look his mother in the face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+ON THE SKIRMISH LINE
+
+
+In the morning our travelers resumed their journey, more refreshed and in
+better condition for service than if they had spent the evening in
+chasing the "elephant" from one to another of the gilded dens of
+dissipation with which the metropolis abounds. In spite of his errors and
+sins, Somers could not help liking his dashing companion. He was a
+dangerous person; but his enthusiasm was so captivating, that he could
+not close his heart against him. But, while he liked the captain, he
+hated his vices.
+
+They stopped in Philadelphia only long enough to dine, and in Baltimore
+only long enough for supper; arriving at Washington in the evening.
+Captain de Banyan again proposed to "go round;" which, rendered into
+unmistakable English, meant to visit the drinking-houses and
+gambling-saloons of the city, to say nothing of worse places. Lieutenant
+Somers had grown wise by experience; and no amount of persuasion could
+induce him to leave the hotel. It was horrible to him to think of
+spending even his leisure time in the haunts of dissipation, when his
+country was bleeding from a thousand wounds; when his gallant comrades in
+the Army of the Potomac were enduring peril and hardship in front of the
+enemy. He had no taste for carousing at any time, and every fiber of his
+moral nature was firmly set against the vices which lured on his reckless
+companion.
+
+Lieutenant Somers stayed at the hotel that evening, listening to the
+conversation of the officers who had been at the front within a few days.
+The great battle of Fair Oaks had been fought during his absence, and
+there was every prospect that the most tremendous operations of the war
+would soon commence. He listened with the deepest interest to the
+accounts from the army, and needed none of the stimulus of the bar-room
+or the gambling-saloon to furnish him with excitement. He was soon to be
+an actor in the momentous events of the campaign; and the thought was
+full of inspiration, and lifted him up from the gross and vulgar tastes
+of his companion.
+
+Before noon the next day, somewhat against the inclination of Captain de
+Banyan, the two officers were on board a steamer bound down the river.
+After some delays, they arrived at White House, on the Pamunkey River;
+and then proceeded by railroad nearly to the camp of the regiment, at
+Poplar Hill, in the very depths of White Oak Swamp.
+
+"My blessed boy!" shouted Sergeant Hapgood when Lieutenant Somers
+appeared in the camp.
+
+The veteran rushed upon him, and, not content to shake his hand he
+proceeded to hug him in the most extraordinary manner.
+
+"I am glad to see you, Hapgood! How have you been since I left?" said
+Somers.
+
+"First-rate! Bless my withered old carcass, Tom, but I thought I never
+should see you again. Why, Tom, how handsome you've grown! Well, you'll
+be a brigadier one of these days, and there won't be a better-looking
+officer on the field. Dear me, Tom---- Beg pardon; I forgot that you are
+an officer; and I mustn't call you Tom any more."
+
+"Never mind that, uncle," added Somers, laughing. "It would hardly be
+good discipline for a sergeant to call an officer by a nickname; but we
+will compromise, and you shall call me Tom when we are not on duty, and
+there is no one within hearing."
+
+"Compromise! Don't never use that word to me. After we fit the battle of
+Bull Run, I gouged that word out of my dictionary. No, sir! You are a
+leftenant now; and I shall allus call you Leftenant Somers, even if there
+ain't nobody within ten mile of us."
+
+"Just as you please, uncle; but, whatever you call me, we shall be just
+as good friends as we ever were."
+
+"That's so, Leftenant Somers."
+
+"Precisely, Sergeant Hapgood."
+
+"Now, what's the news in Pinchbrook?" asked the veteran.
+
+But, before Somers had a chance to tell the news from home, he was
+welcomed to the camp, and cheered, by officers and men; and his account
+of what had transpired in Pinchbrook during his thirty days' furlough was
+eagerly listened to by a large and attentive audience. He received in
+return a full history of the regiment during his absence. Though the
+narrative of sundry exciting events, such as forays upon pig-sties,
+poultry-yards, and kitchen-gardens, was highly amusing, there was a tale
+of sadness to tell--of deaths by disease and on the battlefield.
+
+Many cheerful hearts that were beating with life and hope a few weeks
+before, were now silent in the grave--the soldier's mausoleum in a
+strange land. But soldiers have no time to weep over a dead past; they
+must live in the hope of a glorious future; and when they had dropped a
+tear to the memory of the noble and the true who had fallen on the field
+or died in the hospital, victims of the pestilential airs of the swamp,
+they laughed as merrily as ever, careless of Death's poised arrows which
+were always aimed at them.
+
+Captain de Banyan took his place in the regiment, where Somers found that
+he was prodigiously popular, even after a few hours' acquaintance with
+his new command; but who he was, where he came from, and how he had
+procured his commission, was a mystery to officers and men. He told
+tremendous stories about the Crimea and the Italian war; and now for the
+first time intimated that he was the only survivor of the company which
+led the advance at the storming of Chapultepec, in the Mexican war.
+However much the officers enjoyed his stories, it is not probable that
+all of them believed what they heard.
+
+Lieutenant Somers was perfectly familiar with the company and battalion
+drill; and, having quick perception and abundant self-possession, he was
+competent at once to perform his duties as an officer. He had no vices to
+be criticized by the men, who respected him not only for his bravery on
+the battlefield, but for his good moral character; for even the vicious
+respect the virtues which they practically contemn. Being neither
+arbitrary nor tyrannical, he was cheerfully obeyed; and his company never
+appeared better than when, by the temporary absence of his superior, it
+was under his command.
+
+He was, however, allowed but a short time to become acquainted with the
+routine of the new duty before he was summoned to participate in those
+tremendous events which have passed into history as at once the most
+brilliant and disastrous operations of the war; brilliant in that our
+gallant army was almost invariably victorious, disastrous in that they
+were the forerunners of the ultimate failure of a hopeful campaign. The
+victory at Fair Oaks had raised the hopes of that brave, thinking army.
+
+The picket-lines were within a few miles of Richmond, and the soldiers
+were burning with enthusiasm to be led against the enemy in front of
+them. They were ready to lay down their lives on the altar of their
+bleeding country, if the survivors could grasp the boon of peace within
+the buttressed walls of the rebel capital--peace that would hurl to the
+ground the defiant traitors, and insure the safety and perpetuity of free
+institutions. The notes of victory, those thinking soldiers believed,
+would reverberate through the coming ages, and point an epoch from which
+America would date her grandest and most sublime triumphs.
+
+But not then was the great rebellion to be overthrown; for not yet had
+the leaven of Liberty leavened the whole lump; not yet had the purposes
+of a mysterious Providence been accomplished; and the brave men who
+sighed for victory and peace in the swamps of the Chickahominy were
+doomed to years of blood and toil, of victory and defeat, as they marched
+on, alike through both, to the consummation of a nation's glorious
+triumph, not over paltry armies of arrogant traitors, but over the
+incarnation of Evil, over Heaven-defying institutions, whose downfall
+established forever principles as eternal as God Himself.
+
+Lieutenant Somers was filled with the spirit of the army. He felt that
+the salvation of his country depended upon the valor of that army; and,
+impressed with the magnitude of the interests at stake, he was resolved
+to do his whole duty. With cheerful alacrity he obeyed the summons which
+brought Grover's brigade into line of battle on the morning of the
+eventful 25th of June. What was to be accomplished was not for him to
+know; but forward moved the line through the swamp, through the woods,
+through the pools of stagnant waters up to the hips of the soldiers.
+
+Impressed by the responsibility of his position, Lieutenant Somers
+encouraged the weak as they struggled through the mire on their trying
+march, and with fit words stimulated the enthusiasm of all. After a march
+of about a mile, a heavy skirmish line was thrown out, which soon
+confronted that of the rebels.
+
+"Now, Somers, my dear fellow, the concert is about to open," said Captain
+de Banyan. "By the way, my boy, this reminds me of Magenta, where----"
+
+"Oh, confound Magenta!" exclaimed Somers.
+
+"Why, my dear fellow, you are as petulant as a belle that has lost her
+beau."
+
+"You don't propose to tell us a story about Magenta at such a time as
+this, do you?"
+
+"Well, I confess I have a weakness in that direction. Magenta was a great
+battle. But I'm afraid you are a little nervous," laughed the captain.
+
+"Nervous? Do you think I'm a coward?" demanded Somers.
+
+"I know you are not; but you might be a little nervous for all that."
+
+At that instant, the sharp crack of a single rifle was heard, and Somers
+observed a slight jerk in the brim of the captain's felt hat.
+
+"Bravo!" exclaimed Captain de Banyan as he took off his hat, and pointed
+to a hole through which the rifle-ball had sped its way. "I'll bet a
+month's pay that fellow couldn't do that again without making a hole
+through my head. But that's a singular coincidence. That's precisely the
+place where the first bullet went through my hat at Solferino. At
+Magenta--ah! I see him," added the captain, as he took a musket from the
+hands of one of his men. "I'll bet another month's pay that reb has fired
+his last shot."
+
+As he spoke, he raised the gun to his shoulder, and fired up into one of
+the trees. A crashing of boughs, a rattling of leaves followed; and a
+heavy body was heard to strike the ground.
+
+"You owe me a month's pay, Somers," continued Captain de Banyan, as he
+handed the musket back to the soldier.
+
+"I think not," replied the lieutenant, trying to be as cool as his
+companion. "I never bet."
+
+"Just so. I forgot that you were an exceedingly proper young man."
+
+The skirmish-line, which had paused a moment for an observation to be
+taken, now moved forward again. The rebel skirmishers were discovered,
+and the order was given to fire at will. The enemy's sharpshooters were
+posted in the trees, and they began to pour in a galling fire upon a
+portion of the line.
+
+"Steady, my men!" said Somers, when the firing commenced. "Gunpowder's
+expensive; don't waste it."
+
+"Not a single grain of it, Leftenant Somers," added Sergeant Hapgood.
+
+"There, uncle!--up in that tree!" said Somers, pointing to a grayback,
+who was loading his rifle, about twenty feet from the ground.
+
+"I see him!" replied the sergeant as he leveled his piece, and fired.
+
+The rebel was wounded, but he did not come down; and the captain of the
+company ordered his men to move forward. From the thunder of the
+artillery and the rattle of musketry, it was evident that heavy work was
+in progress on the right and left.
+
+"Forward, men!" said Somers, repeating the order of Captain Benson.
+
+The men were scattered along an irregular line, and firing into the
+bushes, which partially concealed the rebel skirmishers. Somers's platoon
+advanced a little more rapidly than the rest of the line, being favored
+with a few rods of dry ground. He had urged them forward for the purpose
+of dislodging three sharpshooters perched in a large tree.
+
+"Come down, rebs!" shouted Somers, as he reached the foot of the tree,
+and told half a dozen of his men to point their guns towards them.
+
+"What d'ye say, Yank?" demanded one of them.
+
+"Will you come down head first, or feet first? Take your choice quick!"
+replied the lieutenant.
+
+"As you seem to be in arnest, we'll come down the nateral way."
+
+They did come down without a more pressing invitation, and were disarmed,
+ready to be sent to the rear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE REBEL SHARPSHOOTERS
+
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, I don't think I can stand it much longer," said
+Phineas Deane, a private, who had joined the regiment a few days before
+the battle, as he saluted his officer.
+
+"Can't stand what?"
+
+"The fact on't is, lieutenant, I'm sick. I haven't felt well for two or
+three days. I come out here to fight for my country, and I want to do
+some good. I might help take them prisoners back, if you say so."
+
+"Sick, are you? What's the matter?"
+
+"I've got a bad pain in the bowels," replied Phineas, as he placed
+himself on the right side of a tree, and glanced uneasily in the
+direction of the rebel skirmish line. "I'm subject to sich turns, but
+allus git over 'em if I have a chance to lay down for a few hours."
+
+"Oh, well, you can lie down here!" added Somers, who understood the case
+pretty well.
+
+"What! down here in the mud and water? Wal, that would be rather steep
+for a sick man," said Phineas, with a ghastly smile, as he glanced again
+towards the enemy.
+
+"I will get some medicine for you. Here, uncle, let me have one of your
+powders," continued the lieutenant, addressing old Hapgood.
+
+"Sartin; they've done me heaps of good, and I'm sure they're just the
+thing for that man."
+
+Somers took one of the powders, and opened the paper.
+
+"Now, my man, open your mouth, and let me give you this medicine," he
+added.
+
+"What kind of medicine is it?"
+
+"It'll make you kinder sick to the stomach; but it'll cure you in less'n
+half an hour."
+
+"Well, lieutenant, I don't know as I want to take any medicine," answered
+poor Phineas, who was not prepared for this active treatment; though he
+would have taken it quick enough if he could be sent to the rear. "I
+guess I don't keer about takin' on it."
+
+"You needn't, if you don't want to get well."
+
+"I only want to go back to camp, and lay down for a spell."
+
+"We can't spare you just yet, Phineas; but, if you don't stir yourself,
+you will lie down here somewhere, and never get up again," added Somers,
+as a shower of bullets passed over their heads. "Forward, boys!"
+
+The captain detailed a couple of men to conduct the prisoners to the
+rear, and the company pressed forward. The rebel sharpshooters were
+dislodged from the trees; a few prisoners were captured; but the heavy
+fighting and the heavy losses fell upon other portions of the line. The
+rebels had been forced back, and the movement seemed to be a success.
+Half the regiment moved out of the woods, while the rest remained under
+the trees; when a halt was ordered. Somers found himself near an old
+house, behind which a number of rebel sharpshooters had concealed
+themselves for the purpose of picking off the Union soldiers.
+
+The firing in the immediate vicinity had diminished, though the din of
+battle resounded on both sides. The boys were rather nervous, as men are
+when standing idle under fire; but it was the nervousness of restrained
+enthusiasm, not of fear, unless it was in the case of invalid Phineas,
+and a very few others whose physical health had not been completely
+established.
+
+"Well, Somers, my dear boy, how do you get on?" asked Captain de Banyan,
+as he sauntered leisurely up to the lieutenant, whose command stood next
+to his own.
+
+"First-rate; only I should like to have something a little more active
+than standing here."
+
+"It takes considerable experience to enable a man to stand still under
+fire. When I was at the battle of Alma, I learned that lesson to a charm.
+We stood up for forty-two hours under a fierce fire of grape and
+canister, to say nothing of musketry."
+
+"Forty-two hours!" exclaimed Somers. "I should think you would all have
+been killed off before that time."
+
+"In our regiment, only one man was killed; and he got asleep, and walked
+in his dreams over towards the enemy's line."
+
+"Captain, you can tell a bigger story than any other man in the army,"
+said Somers, laughing.
+
+"That's because I have seen more of the world. When you have been about
+as much as I have, you will know more about it."
+
+"No doubt of it."
+
+"I should be very happy to be more actively employed just now; but I am
+very well contented where I am."
+
+The position they occupied enabled the two officers to see some sharp
+fighting along the line. Through an opening at the right, they saw a
+rebel regiment, wearing white jackets, or else stripped to their shirts,
+march at double-quick, in splendid order, with arms at "right shoulder
+shift," to the scene of action. It was probably some volunteer body from
+Richmond, whom the ladies of the rebel capital had just dismissed, with
+sweet benedictions, to sweep the "foul Yankees" from the face of the
+earth. They were certainly a splendid body of men; and the ladies might
+well be proud of them. They went into the field in good style, with the
+blessings of the fair still lingering fondly in their ears. But one
+volley from the veterans of the Army of the Potomac was enough for them,
+and they gave way, running off the field in wild disorder, threading
+their way in terror through the bushes, every man for himself. It is not
+likely that they were welcomed back from the gory field by the frothy
+feminine rebels of Richmond.
+
+"That's just the way the Russians ran at Palestro!" exclaimed Captain de
+Banyan, as he watched the exciting scene.
+
+"The Russians at Palestro!" added Somers, "I think you have got things a
+little mixed, captain."
+
+Before this difficult question could be settled, Captain de Banyan was
+ordered to take a sufficient force, and drive out the rebels who were
+skulking behind the old house.
+
+"Somers, you shall go with me," said he, when he had received his orders
+from the colonel. "We'll do a big thing, if there is any chance."
+
+"I am ready for anything, big or little, captain," replied Somers
+heartily. "What shall I do?"
+
+"March your men over by that little knoll, and come round on the other
+side of the house; I will move up in another direction, and we will bag
+the whole squad. But mind you, Somers, the enemy are round that way;
+don't let them gobble you up or lay you out."
+
+"I will do the best I can, captain."
+
+"Angels could do no more."
+
+The lieutenant advanced, with the men detailed for the purpose, towards
+the hillock. By taking a circuitous route, he avoided the observation of
+the rebels behind the house, and reached the other side of the knoll,
+where, behind the friendly shelter of a clump of bushes, he was enabled
+to survey the ground. Not more than a quarter of a mile distant he
+discovered the rebel breastworks. It was about the same distance to the
+house.
+
+Between the knoll and the house there was a small patch of wheat, which,
+by some chance, had escaped the havoc of foraging parties. Though the
+grain was not full-grown, it would afford concealment to his men. In
+order to reach it, he must expose his men to a volley from the
+rifle-pits, or from any body of rebels which might be posted in the
+vicinity. He could not afford to lose a single man, and he was perplexed
+to determine how he should overcome the distance between the wheat-field
+and the knoll.
+
+It seemed to him very singular that he had not already been fired upon;
+and he concluded that it was because his party had been mistaken for
+rebels, or because some of their troops were between him and the Union
+lines. Whether the enemy had been deceived or not, he was fully
+determined to afford them no further information in regard to his
+politics, if any of them had seen him. He therefore ordered his men to
+take off their coats, which some of them had done before they started on
+the expedition. The blue trousers could not be so easily disposed of; but
+as some of the boys had straw hats, some felt, and some caps, it would
+have been hard to determine what they were at the distance of a quarter
+of a mile, especially as some of the Confederates wore the plundered
+clothing of the Union army.
+
+After instructing his force in regard to their future conduct, he marched
+them boldly into the open space. To assist the deception, he directed one
+of his men to halt occasionally, and point his musket in the direction of
+the Union pickets. Not a shot was fired at them; and when the young
+lieutenant reached the wheat-field he fancied that he was clever enough
+for any brigadier in the rebel army.
+
+It was desirable that the rebel sharpshooters at the house should not be
+alarmed; and, when his men reached the grain, Somers ordered them to get
+down upon their hands and knees, and creep cautiously towards the point
+to be assailed. The lieutenant, like a good officer, led the way himself,
+and had advanced about half the distance to be accomplished, when he
+heard a rustling noise in the grain before him. It was an ominous sound,
+and he paused to take an observation. He could not see anything without
+standing up; and, as he was within twenty rods of the house, it was
+necessary to avoid exposing himself.
+
+From whatever source the sounds proceeded, it was just as safe to advance
+as it was to retreat; and he decided to go forward. With the utmost
+caution, he continued to creep along through the wheat; but he was
+careful to assure himself that his men's muskets and his own revolver
+were in condition for instant use. After he had gone a few rods farther,
+the sounds were more apparent; and, with no little consternation, he
+heard voices, rich with an unmistakable Southern accent.
+
+"I tell you, more of our fellers is coming through the grain. You mought
+hear 'em, ef you weren't deafer'n a dead nigger."
+
+"I heerd 'em. You kin bet yer life they're some of our pickets.
+Howsomever, I'm gwine to see."
+
+"Hush, my men! don't speak a word!" whispered the young lieutenant. "Lie
+flat on the ground."
+
+The rebels were nearer than he had supposed; for, as he turned from his
+men, he discovered a wiry grayback, with the chevrons of a sergeant on
+his arms, trying to stare him out of countenance. The fellow did not look
+wholesome; and Somers was in doubt whether to blow his brains out, or let
+things take their natural course.
+
+"Who mought you be?" demanded the grayback, exhibiting more curiosity
+than of fear in his dirty face.
+
+"One of the people," replied Somers, disposed to avoid a direct issue.
+"Who are you?"
+
+"I'm one of the people too," grinned the rebel.
+
+"I see you are; and I suppose you belong to the army, don't you?"
+
+"Bet your life I do."
+
+"Of course you won't object to telling me which army you belong to, as
+there may be some difference of opinion between us."
+
+"'Tain't no use to ask a officer dressed in blue, and lookin' as spruce
+as you be, whar he kim from. I say, Yank, what are you uns doin' in
+hyar?"
+
+"Only taking a look."
+
+"You're as civil as a Mobile dancin'-master; and I axes yer, very
+perlite, to surrender."
+
+"How many men have you got, reb?" demanded the lieutenant, as he put his
+hand on his revolver.
+
+"See hyar, Yank; play fair. You uns allers cheat playin' poker. Don't
+tech yer shooter yet," replied the grayback coolly, as he thrust the
+muzzle of his gun in the lieutenant's face. "Two kin play at that game,
+and your wife or mine will be a lone widder quicker'n a coon kin wink at
+the moon. I've got seven men," he added.
+
+"I have twenty-three," said Somers.
+
+"Then yer kin whip us if yer be Yanks; for three of you uns can just lick
+one of we uns."
+
+"That's good logic. Will you surrender, or fight?" demanded Somers.
+
+"Let me count your men. I surrender," he continued, after he had stood
+up, and counted the Union soldiers. "Here's my shooter; fair play, even
+with Yanks."
+
+Leaving a guard of eight men with his prisoners when they were disarmed,
+Somers hastened forward to complete his mission.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+AN EXPEDITION IN FRONT
+
+
+The affair in the wheat-field had been conducted very quietly, and
+apparently had not attracted the attention of any of the rebels in the
+vicinity. During the brief parley, the thunder of the battle had sounded
+on the right and left of the parties. The enemy were in force in their
+works, and it was believed that there were squads of pickets in every
+place of concealment which the ground afforded.
+
+Somers was very much surprised to find that he was not molested, and made
+all possible haste to carry out the programme with which he had been
+intrusted by Captain de Banyan. Followed by the balance of his men, he
+crept carefully towards the house till he had reached the end of the
+grain-field. He could see about a dozen rebels skulking behind the
+building, all of them so intent upon getting a shot at the Union
+soldiers, that they paid no attention to the events transpiring in the
+rear of them; probably deeming it impossible for an enemy to approach in
+that direction.
+
+The lieutenant had but fifteen men left to execute his part of the
+scheme, and there seemed to be double that number of graybacks lurking in
+and about the house. Everything depended upon his effecting the requisite
+junction with the force of the captain. As his superior had but a short
+distance to march, it was probable that he was already in position to
+support him; and he decided to make the attack without permitting any
+delay to rob him of the chances of success.
+
+"Now, double-quick, forward!" shouted Somers, as he rose from the ground,
+and led the way to a position where he could intercept the retreat of the
+rebels.
+
+Agreeably to the instructions previously given, his men stretched out
+into an extended line, and commenced firing at will upon the luckless
+graybacks who were in sight. It did not take them long to find out that
+they were assailed by a fire in the rear.
+
+"Surrender!" shouted Captain de Banyan, who at this moment appeared at
+the head of his men.
+
+The rebels were not disposed to accept this polite invitation, but began
+to fall back from the house in good order. They discharged their pieces
+at the force in front, and then started at a run to effect their escape
+in the opposite direction. They forgot for the moment that they had been
+fired upon from the rear, or else thought that the fire had been directed
+by some of their own people at the Yankees who had so suddenly attacked
+in front.
+
+"Surrender!" shouted Lieutenant Somers, as the retreating rebels
+approached his line.
+
+They halted at this unexpected summons. The officer in command of them
+took a hasty survey of the situation, and then ordered his troops to cut
+their way through the thin line between them and the rebel field-works.
+The commander of the rebel pickets was a gallant fellow; and, drawing his
+sword, he rushed towards the spot where the lieutenant was stationed.
+Discharging his pistol with the left hand at Somers, he dashed forward
+like a festive horse.
+
+Both parties had discharged their guns, and there was no time to reload
+them. Some of the rebels had bayonets, and some had not; and, with the
+fury of their brave leader, they attempted to break their way through the
+line. A sharp but very irregular conflict ensued, the rebels clubbing
+their muskets or grappling with the Union soldiers, each according to his
+individual taste. As they were two to one of the Federals, they would
+certainly have won the field if Captain de Banyan had not promptly come
+to the rescue.
+
+The excited rebel officer manifested a most persistent desire to revenge
+his misfortunes upon Lieutenant Somers. After he had fired his pistol
+twice, and one of the balls had passed through his opponent's cap, the
+latter, by a sudden dash, knocked the weapon from his hand with his
+sword. He then attempted to use his own sword, and, if Somers had not
+been a "master of fence," would probably have run him through the body.
+Some hard blows were struck with these weapons, and the age of chivalry,
+when men fought hand to hand with trusty blades, seemed to be revived.
+But the sword of the rebel officer was not so trusty as it ought to have
+been. It was not a regulation sword; and, while its owner was flourishing
+it most valiantly, the blade flew away from the handle.
+
+"Now, surrender!" said Somers, out of breath with the violence of his
+exertions, as he drew from his belt the pistol which, being so hard
+pressed, he had not been able to use before.
+
+"Never, sir! I don't surrender! I was sent here to fight, and not to
+surrender!" replied the officer, as proudly as though he had been in
+command of a beleaguered fortress, instead of a squad of two or three
+dozen men.
+
+Somers had him at his mercy, and it seemed but little better than murder
+to shoot him in his defenseless state.
+
+That was a bad mistake on his part; for the rebel officer at once
+proceeded to prove that he was no effeminate character, who depended upon
+a sword, pistol, or other weapon, to fight his battles with, but could,
+if occasion required, defend himself with his naked arm. He sprang upon
+Somers with the ferocity of a tiger. The latter fired; but the sudden
+movement of the former impaired his aim, and the ball whistled harmlessly
+over the head of the rebel. The desperate officer attempted to gain
+possession of the pistol; but Somers, now thoroughly aroused to a sense
+of his own danger, sprang at the throat of his antagonist, and, by the
+fierceness of the dash, bore him to the earth. His victim struggled to
+escape; and, being a stronger man than the other, would certainly have
+succeeded, if Somers had not picked up his pistol, which lay on the spot
+where they fell, and struck a blow with the butt of it on the temple of
+the rebel. This effectually quieted him; but the lieutenant's little
+force were falling back before the furious assaults of the graybacks.
+
+He had only time to get up before the rebels were upon him. At this
+interesting and critical moment, Captain de Banyan came up with his large
+force; and the enemy, finding themselves pressed in front and rear, gave
+up in despair. They were disarmed; and, those from the wheat-field being
+brought forward, the whole squad were marched in the direction of the
+Union line.
+
+About one-half of Somers's men were wounded, though some but slightly.
+These were sent back. The rebel officer lay insensible upon the ground;
+but Somers, satisfied that he was only stunned, desired to carry him off,
+not only as a trophy of his prowess, but because such a desperate fellow
+would be less dangerous in a prison-camp than in the lines of the rebels.
+He directed two of his men to bear the insensible form to the house,
+whither they were followed by the remainder of the force.
+
+"Somers, my dear fellow, give me your hand," said Captain de Banyan, as
+soon as the pressing business of the moment had been disposed of. "You
+have covered yourself with glory."
+
+"Pooh!" replied Somers, trying to look indifferent. "I have only done my
+duty, and obeyed my orders."
+
+"That's very true; but, if you had been weak in the knees, you couldn't
+very well have obeyed orders. Somers, you have done a big thing; and, in
+my judgment, you ought to be promoted."
+
+"Promoted for that?"
+
+"In the battle of Magenta----"
+
+"Oh, confound the battle of Magenta!" exclaimed Somers, interrupting him.
+"I will give you a handsome present if you will never say Magenta to me
+again."
+
+"Don't be petulant, my dear boy! You have got a sweet temper naturally,
+and I hope you won't spoil it."
+
+"I am afraid you will spoil it for me."
+
+"I was only saying pleasant things to you, and you fly off and roll
+yourself up in your dignity like a little hedgehog. By the way, Somers,
+don't you suppose that Senator Guilford will hear of this affair?"
+
+"I hope not."
+
+"Nor that little lady we left all used up with a broken arm?"
+
+"I don't care whether she does or not."
+
+"Or that other little lady who knits socks for soldiers that don't run
+away in battle?"
+
+Somers blushed like a maiden, and his experienced companion saw that he
+had touched the tender spot in his heart. Very likely the captain would
+have said something more on this interesting subject, if the conversation
+had not been interrupted by their arrival at the old house. Here they
+were met by a messenger from the colonel, ordering the detachment to
+hasten back; for orders had come for the brigade to retire to their old
+position.
+
+The wounded and the prisoners were conducted safely back to the line in
+the woods, where our party were warmly congratulated upon their decided
+success. The brigade fell back, but were immediately ordered forward
+again, and held the advanced position which had been so gallantly won. It
+was not a very comfortable place; for the soldiers stood over shoes in
+the water. Late in the evening, our regiment was relieved by another, and
+ordered back to the breastworks in the rear. It had lost but few men,
+though torrents of loyal blood had flowed on that eventful day.
+
+The action of that day was the initial conflict of the seven-days'
+battles. General McClellan actually commenced his long-deferred
+operations against the city of Richmond. But the favorable moment had
+passed by, and even then the battalions of the rebels were gathering in
+readiness to be hurled upon our devoted army. While the regiment, whose
+fortunes have been more intimately connected with our story, was retiring
+from the pestiferous swamp, the commanding general received information
+of the approach of Stonewall Jackson. These proved to be sad tidings; for
+the anticipated triumphal march into the rebel capital was changed into a
+bloody but glorious retreat. The battles which were to be fought for a
+victorious advance were made to cover a disastrous defeat--disastrous to
+the campaign, though not to the army.
+
+Fatigued, hungry and chilled by the night damps of the swamp, the
+regiment threaded its way through the intricacies of the woods towards
+the breastworks in the rear. It was a dark and gloomy hour, though the
+_prestige_ of victory dwelt in the souls of the gallant soldiers. The
+officers were not familiar with the ground; and with difficulty they
+found their way back to the old line.
+
+"Well, Somers, how do you feel?" asked Captain de Banyan when the
+regiment was dismissed.
+
+"I'm all worn out. I haven't got toughened to this kind of work yet,"
+replied Somers.
+
+"Don't give it up yet, my boy. We shall be in Richmond in less than a
+week, and then we will take rooms at the Spottswood House, and have a
+good time."
+
+"Do you believe we shall ever get into Richmond, captain?"
+
+"Certainly I do. Everything is working to my entire satisfaction. You
+feel a little blue, my boy; but it is only because you are tired. You
+will feel better in the morning."
+
+"I am tired, but I am not blue. I am ready to do my duty, in victory or
+defeat. There has been an awful roar of guns all day, and no one can tell
+what the result of a battle will be."
+
+"An awful roar of guns! 'Pon my word, I like that," laughed the captain.
+"Why, at Magenta----"
+
+"Magenta again!" sneered Somers, who was heartily sick of that word.
+
+"Yes, at Magenta! If you could only have heard the guns there! Why, there
+were seven thousand two hundred and forty-six pieces rattling away like
+mad on our side alone; and I believe the Russians----"
+
+"Russians at Magenta again! I don't believe you were at the battle of
+Magenta any more than I was!" exclaimed Somers desperately.
+
+"Do you mean to tell me that I lie?" asked the captain gravely.
+
+"Go on with your story," said the lieutenant, fearing that he had said
+too much.
+
+"Answer my question, if you please. You gave me the lie; did you not?"
+
+"No; I didn't use that word."
+
+"You said you didn't believe I was at the battle of Magenta."
+
+"To be perfectly candid with you, I don't believe it; but I am tired, and
+want my supper," answered Somers, wishing to escape the issue which he
+had provoked.
+
+"Fair play, my boy. You charged me with lying--indirectly--but not the
+less offensively on that account. Don't dodge the question."
+
+"I haven't dodged it. I gave you my candid opinion that you were not
+present at Magenta; and I don't think there is an officer in the regiment
+who believes you were there."
+
+"Isn't the word of an officer and a gentleman to be accepted?"
+
+"Certainly, if he keeps within the bounds of reason; but when you talk
+about the Russians at Magenta, and over seven thousand cannons in a
+single army, we know that you are either 'drawing the long-bow,' or
+laboring under some strange delusion. Supper is ready."
+
+"We can eat and talk too." And they did. "May I be allowed to ask,
+Lieutenant Somers, if you deem my statement inconsistent with reason?"
+
+"To be sure I do. We have six guns to a battery; seventy-two hundred guns
+would make twelve hundred batteries. We have about one hundred and fifty
+men to a battery, which would make one hundred and eighty thousand men in
+the artillery arm alone; which is positively ridiculous. You said
+Russians----"
+
+"Of course, that was a slip of the tongue. I meant Prussians," added the
+captain, entirely overwhelmed by the lieutenant's arithmetic, as well as
+by the laughter of Captain Benson and Lieutenant Munroe, who belonged to
+the mess.
+
+"Worse yet," said Somers. "They were Austrians. Now, captain, you are a
+brave man, and a splendid fellow; but I think it is a great pity you
+should tell such abominably great stories."
+
+"I accept the apology," laughed Captain de Banyan. "We will call it
+square, and turn in; for I think that we shall have hot work to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+AN ORDER FROM HEADQUARTERS
+
+
+While Captain de Banyan and Lieutenant Somers were asleep, the commanding
+general received the intelligence of a movement on our right by the
+famous Stonewall Jackson. The position which had been gained by the
+advance at Oak Grove was abandoned, and the troops returned to their old
+line. The next day was heard the roar of the guns at Mechanicsville; and
+on that succeeding was fought the battle of Gaines's Mills--the only
+defeat in the field sustained by the Union army during that battle-week.
+
+General McClellan then decided to change his base of operations; which,
+rendered into plain English, meant that he had been flanked, and was
+obliged to make the best move he could to save his army and material. The
+troops fought all day, and ran all night, till they reached the James
+River, where they were protected by the all-powerful gunboats. In the
+battles of Savage's Station, Glendale and Malvern Hills, they were
+victorious, and fought as no troops had ever fought before. As a retreat,
+it was successful; but it was the sad and inglorious end of the
+Peninsular campaign.
+
+The whole brigade to which Lieutenant Somers belonged went on picket
+every third day. While the tremendous operations to which we have briefly
+alluded were taking place on the right, the soldiers on the left were
+leading their ordinary military life. But they were thinking men, and,
+while they were firm in their devotion to the good cause, they were
+disturbed by doubts and fears. They knew not, as they listened to the
+booming guns, whether they were in the midst of victory or defeat.
+Occasionally, they were shelled behind their breastworks; apparently for
+the purpose, on the part of the rebels, of keeping our forces from
+interfering with the work on the right.
+
+The brigade went on picket, and here the troops were face to face with
+the enemy. Lieutenant Somers, by the illness of the captain and the
+absence of the first lieutenant, was in command of his company. But there
+was no chance to do anything to distinguish himself, except that steady
+and patient attention to duty which is the constant opportunity of every
+good officer.
+
+"Well, captain, was there anything like this at Magenta?" asked Somers,
+as he met De Banyan.
+
+"This is tame, Somers. Magenta was a lively scene."
+
+"I fancy it will not remain tame much longer. We shall either be in
+Richmond as victors or prisoners within a few days."
+
+"Don't croak, Somers. It will all come out right in the end."
+
+"I have no doubt of that; but I feel just as though some big thing was
+going to happen."
+
+"So do I; and I felt so just before the battle of Solferino. By the way,
+on the night before that battle, I captured a whole brigade with my
+single company, while I was out on picket-duty."
+
+"Indeed!" laughed Somers.
+
+"I'll tell you how it was."
+
+"Don't take that trouble, captain; for I shall not believe you if you
+do."
+
+"Do you mean to doubt my word, even before I utter it?" demanded the
+captain, apparently much hurt by the insinuation.
+
+"Captain de Banyan, I wish I could persuade you to speak the truth at all
+times."
+
+"Come, Somers, that's rather a grave charge; and, if it came from any
+other man than yourself, I should challenge him on the spot," added the
+captain, throwing back his head, and looking dignified enough to be the
+commander-in-chief.
+
+"You may challenge me if you please; but let us be serious for a moment."
+
+"I am serious, and have been all the time."
+
+"You are a first-rate fellow, captain; I like you almost as well as I do
+my own brother."
+
+"You are a sensible young man, Somers," replied De Banyan, slightly
+relaxing the rigid muscles of his face.
+
+"You are a brave man, and as brilliant as you are brave. I have only one
+fault to find with you."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"You will draw the long-bow."
+
+"In other words, I will lie. Somers, you hurt my feelings. I took a fancy
+to you the first time I ever saw you, and it pains me to hear you talk in
+that manner. Do you think that I, an officer and a gentleman, would stoop
+to the vice of lying?"
+
+"You certainly do not expect any one to believe those wretched big
+stories you tell?"
+
+"Certainly I do," replied the captain with dignity.
+
+"But they contradict themselves."
+
+"Perhaps you don't believe there ever was such an event as the battle of
+Magenta."
+
+"Come, come, my friend; just slide off that high horse."
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, my word has been doubted; my good faith maligned; my
+character for truth and veracity questioned."
+
+"Yes, I know all that very well; but answer me one question, captain.
+Seriously and solemnly, were you at the battle of Magenta?"
+
+"I decline to answer one who doubts my veracity. If I answered you in the
+affirmative, you would not believe me."
+
+"I don't think I should; but, if you should answer me in the negative, I
+should have full faith in your reply."
+
+"I cannot answer on those terms. Somers, I am offended. I don't know but
+that I am in duty bound to challenge you. Just after the battle of
+Magenta, I felt compelled to challenge a young officer who cast an
+imputation upon my word. We fought, and he fell. His brother challenged
+me then, and I had to put a bullet through his head. The family were
+Corsicans, I believe; and one after another challenged me, till they got
+down to fifth cousins; and I laid out fifteen of them--I think it was
+fifteen; I don't remember the exact number, but I could tell by referring
+to my diary. You are so precise and particular, that I want to give you
+the facts just as they are."
+
+"You haven't the diary with you, I suppose?"
+
+"Of course not; I couldn't carry a volume like that around with me. I
+only mention this circumstance to show you the sad results which
+sometimes follow in the wake of a duel."
+
+"But I'm not a Corsican; and I don't think you need fear any such results
+in my case, if you should conclude to challenge me," answered Somers with
+abundant good nature.
+
+"Now, seriously and solemnly, Somers, this doubting a comrade's word is a
+vicious habit. It shows that you have no confidence in what I say."
+
+"That is precisely the truth; but I think you are responsible for the
+fact, not I. If you would only tell the truth----"
+
+"Tell the truth! My dear fellow, you keep making the matter worse,
+instead of better."
+
+"So do you; for, instead of abandoning your bad habit, you tell me an
+absurd story about killing fifteen men in a series of duels!"
+
+"I told you I couldn't fix the exact number. You are too critical by
+half."
+
+"I am not particular about the number; for I don't believe you killed
+even a single person in a duel. You are too good a fellow to do anything
+of the sort."
+
+"Somers, I have been laboring to keep my temper; but I am afraid you will
+make me mad, if you keep on. I think we had better suspend this
+conversation before it leads to any unhappy results;" and the captain
+rose from the ground, and glanced in the direction of the enemy's
+pickets.
+
+"The most unhappy result I could conceive of would be your continuing
+this bad practice of telling big stories," replied Somers, standing up by
+the side of his companion.
+
+"No more; you add insult to injury, Somers."
+
+"Really, captain, you injure yourself by this habit, and----"
+
+Captain de Banyan, at this point of the conversation, suddenly turned
+round, and sprang upon the lieutenant, bearing him to the ground before
+the latter could even make a movement in self-defense. Together they
+rolled upon the earth, at the foot of the tree whose sheltering branches
+had protected them from the intense heat of the sun. Somers, as the
+reader already knows, was bold and belligerent before an attack; and, on
+the impulse of the moment, he proceeded to repel the sharp assault of his
+companion.
+
+"If you fight a duel in that way, I am ready to take part in it," said
+he, his face red with anger. "Let go of me!"
+
+"With pleasure, my dear boy," replied De Banyan, edging away from him.
+
+"What do you mean by pitching into me in that way?" demanded Somers
+angrily.
+
+"I have been trying this half hour to teach you a useful lesson; but you
+don't know who your best friends are."
+
+"I think I do. Some of them tell the truth sometimes."
+
+"Somers!" said the captain sternly.
+
+"Captain de Banyan!" replied the lieutenant firmly.
+
+"Do you see that hole in the tree?" continued Captain de Banyan, pointing
+to a fresh bullet-mark.
+
+"I do."
+
+"I only pulled you down to keep that rifle-ball from going through your
+head. I saw a rebel picket through the trees, ready to fire at us. The
+ball struck the tree before we struck the ground."
+
+"Forgive me, captain. I did not understand the movement," replied Somers,
+extending his hand.
+
+"With all my heart," replied the captain, taking the proffered hand. "We
+don't always know who our best friends are."
+
+"Perhaps not; but I know that you are one of my best friends. You have
+just given me another reason for wishing you did not----" Somers
+hesitated, not thinking it exactly fair to reproach his companion for his
+vile habit, after he had rendered him such a signal service.
+
+"Lie," added De Banyan, finishing the sentence.
+
+"Perhaps it isn't exactly lying; you don't mean to deceive any one. At
+the worst, they are only white lies. Now, captain, don't you think you
+exaggerate sometimes?"
+
+"Well, perhaps I do; my memory is rather poor. I don't carry my diary
+with me."
+
+"Don't you think it would be better if you could confine yourself to the
+exact truth?" added Somers, who really felt a deep interest in his
+associate.
+
+"I think it very likely it would; but things get a little mixed up in my
+mind. My memory is poor on details. Just after the battle of Magenta,
+while I was lying wounded on the ground, one of the emperor's staff rode
+up to me, and asked how many cannon my regiment had captured. To save my
+life, I couldn't tell whether it was two hundred or three hundred. My
+memory is very treacherous on details."
+
+"I believe you are hopeless, captain," laughed Somers.
+
+"Hopeless?"
+
+"Why, you have told the biggest story that has passed your lips to-day."
+
+"What, about the cannon?"
+
+"Two hundred or three hundred! Why, your regiment captured all the guns
+the Austrians had!"
+
+"Didn't I tell you I couldn't remember whether it was two hundred or
+three hundred? You are the most critical young man I ever met in the
+whole course of my life!"
+
+"But two hundred would be an abominable exaggeration. Perhaps you meant
+muskets?"
+
+"No; cannon."
+
+"But, my dear captain, just consider for one moment. Of course the
+batteries were supported?"
+
+"To be sure they were."
+
+"Six guns to a battery would have made fifty batteries; and----"
+
+"Oh, confound your statistics!" exclaimed the captain impatiently.
+
+"But statistics enable us to see the truth. Now, captain, at the battle
+of Bunker Hill, I saw a man----"
+
+"You?" demanded Captain de Banyan.
+
+"I said so."
+
+"Were you at the battle of Bunker Hill?"
+
+"Didn't you see me there?"
+
+"Come, come, Somers; you shouldn't trifle with the truth. I was not at
+the battle you speak of."
+
+"But I was----"
+
+"You! You were not born till sixty years after the battle of Bunker
+Hill."
+
+"But I was--only illustrating your case."
+
+"Here comes an orderly with something from headquarters," said Captain de
+Banyan, apparently as much rejoiced to change the conversation as the
+reader will be to have it changed.
+
+The orderly proceeded to the position occupied by the field and staff
+officers of the regiment; and, a few moments later, came an order for
+Lieutenant Somers, with twenty of his men, selected for special duty, to
+report at the division headquarters.
+
+"You are in luck, Somers; you will have a glorious opportunity to
+distinguish yourself," said Captain de Banyan, whose second lieutenant
+was ordered to the command of Somers's company.
+
+"I don't know what it means," replied our lieutenant.
+
+"Don't you, indeed?" added the captain with a smile. "Don't you know what
+special duty means? On the night before the battle of Solferino----"
+
+"Excuse me, Captain de Banyan; but I am ordered to report forthwith,"
+interrupted Somers, who had no desire to hear another "whopper."
+
+The young lieutenant marched off, with his little force, to report as he
+had been directed. He knew his men well enough to enable him to make a
+good selection; and he was confident that they would stand by him to the
+last.
+
+"Do you know Senator Guilford?" demanded the general, after Somers had
+passed through all the forms of reporting.
+
+"I do, general," replied the lieutenant, with a fearful blush, and with a
+wish in his heart that the distinguished Senator had minded his own
+business.
+
+"He speaks well of you, Lieutenant Somers," added the general.
+
+"I am very much obliged to him for his kindness; but I never saw him but
+once in my life."
+
+"He asks a favor for you."
+
+"I am very much obliged to him; but I don't ask any for myself, and I
+hope you will not grant it. If any favors are bestowed upon me, I prefer
+to earn them myself."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the general. "But I assure you and Senator Guilford
+that no man in this division of the army will get a position he does not
+deserve. I assure you, Lieutenant Somers, I should have thrown the
+Senator's letter among the waste paper, if I had not known you before. I
+remember you at Williamsburg; and you did a pretty thing in the
+wheat-field yesterday. You are just the man I want."
+
+"Thank you, sir; I should be very glad to prove that your good opinion is
+well founded."
+
+Apart from others, and in a low tone, the general gave his orders to
+Lieutenant Somers to undertake a very difficult and dangerous scouting
+expedition.
+
+"Before sundown you will be a prisoner in Richmond, or a first
+lieutenant," added the general as Somers withdrew.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+LIEUTENANT SOMERS CHANGES HIS NAME AND CHARACTER
+
+
+Like the major-generals in the army, Lieutenant Somers had strong
+aspirations in the direction of an independent command. Like those
+distinguished worthies, no doubt, he felt competent to perform bigger
+things than he had yet been called to achieve in the ordinary routine of
+duty. He had the blood of heroes in his veins; and, in spite of all he
+could do to keep his thoughts within the limits of modesty, he found them
+soaring to the regions of the improbable and fanciful. His imagination
+led him a wild race, and pictured him in the act of performing marvelous
+deeds of valor and skill.
+
+Fancy is a blind and reckless leader; and it gave our hero oftentimes a
+command which his reason would not have permitted him to accept. What
+boys, and even what men, think, when stimulated by ambition, would be too
+ridiculous to put upon paper. If their thoughts could be disclosed to the
+impertinent eye of the world, the proprietors would blushingly disown and
+disclaim them.
+
+Still, almost every live man and boy gives the reins to his fancy; and in
+the Army of the Potomac, we will venture to say, there were a hundred
+thousand privates and officers who permitted themselves to dream that
+they were brigadiers and major-generals; that they did big things, and
+received the grateful homage of the world. At any rate, Lieutenant Somers
+did, modest as he was, even while he felt that he was utterly incompetent
+to perform the duties incumbent on the two stars or the one star.
+
+Experience had given him some confidence in his own powers; and there was
+something delightful in the idea of having an independent command. It was
+a partial, a very partial, realization of the wanderings of his vivid
+fancy. He felt able to do something which Lilian Ashford would take
+pleasure in reading in the newspapers; perhaps something which would
+prove his fitness for a brigadier's star at some remote period. Now, we
+have made all this explanation to show how Somers had prepared himself to
+accomplish some great thing. The mission with which he had been intrusted
+was an important one; and the safety of the whole left wing of the army
+might depend upon its faithful performance.
+
+He was wrought up to the highest pitch of patriotic inspiration by the
+charge which had been laid upon him; and he was determined to bring back
+the information required of him, even if he had to fly through the air to
+obtain it. It was of no use to suggest impossibilities to a young man in
+such a frame of mind; he did not know the meaning of the word. To impress
+him with the importance of the duty intrusted to him, the general of
+division had given him a faint outline of the intended movements of the
+army. If the enemy massed his forces in this direction, it was of vital
+necessity that the general should know it.
+
+Thus prepared and thus inspired, Lieutenant Somers marched his little
+force to the point from which he proposed to operate. On his right hand
+there was a dense wood, on the border of which extended one of the
+numerous cross-roads that checker the country. On his left was another
+piece of woods, terminating in a point about a quarter of a mile from the
+road and in the center of a valley.
+
+On the hill beyond was the intrenched line of the rebels. In front of it,
+at the foot of the slope, was a line of rifle-pits, which were occupied
+by the rebel pickets. The hill and the woods concealed the operations of
+the enemy; and no signal station was high enough to obtain the necessary
+information. The woods on both sides of the open space were picketed by
+the rebels; and the rifle-pits in front were an effectual check to the
+advance of a small force, while a large one could not be sent up without
+bringing on a general engagement, which had been prohibited by the
+commanding general.
+
+Lieutenant Somers surveyed the ground, and came to the conclusion that
+his chance of spending the night in Libby Prison was better than his
+chance of being made a first lieutenant. The rifle-pits had a chilling
+effect upon the fine dreams in which his fancy had indulged. He was not a
+grub, and could not burrow through the earth to the rebel lines; he had
+no wings, and could not fly over them. The obstacles which are so easily
+overcome in one's dreams appear mountain-high in real life. He looked
+troubled and anxious; but, having put his hand to the plow, he was
+determined not to turn back.
+
+The best way to conquer a difficulty is to charge upon it; and this
+Somers decided to do, even though he had no well-defined plan for the
+accomplishment of his purpose. Avoiding the observation of the rebels in
+the rifle-pits, he moved round, and reached the point of woods on the
+left of the road.
+
+"Excuse me, Lieutenant Somers," said Sergeant Hapgood with a military
+salute: "'tain't none o' my business, but I'd like to know where you are
+goin' to."
+
+"Through this woods," replied Somers doggedly.
+
+"You used to be a good boy, when you was a boy; and I hope you've said
+your prayers," replied old Hapgood, appalled at the prospect before his
+young friend.
+
+"Don't you croak, uncle," added Somers.
+
+"The rebels' pickets are up here, not twenty rods distant. Do you
+calculate to go through them, or over them?"
+
+"Either--just as I can; but I am going through, somehow or other."
+
+"It can't be done! Thunderation! you'll bring down the whole rebel army
+upon us! You don't think of going over there with only twenty men!"
+
+"I do, uncle. I'm going over on that hill yonder, and I'm coming back
+again before night."
+
+Hapgood tapped his forehead significantly with his finger to indicate
+that the young lieutenant had lost his senses.
+
+"I was ordered to do it, and I am going to do it, uncle. You can set your
+mind at rest on that point."
+
+"It can't be did!" said the old man positively. "I don't keer who told
+you to do it; it can't be did with less'n twenty thousand men. You will
+sacrifice yourself and all the rest of us."
+
+"You may return to the camp, if you wish."
+
+"Tom Somers--Lieutenant Somers," said the old man, much hurt by the words
+of the young officer, "you know I'm not afraid of anything; and I didn't
+expect you'd say that to me."
+
+"Excuse me, uncle; I didn't mean it. Now, hear me a moment."
+
+In a low tone, Lieutenant Somers told the sergeant the nature of his
+mission, and what depended upon its prompt and successful execution.
+
+"He ought to have sent a division to do such a job," muttered the old
+man, taking off his cap, and scratching his bald head. "Howsomever, I'm
+ready to follow you wherever you choose to go."
+
+"Forward, then," replied Somers; and they advanced cautiously through the
+woods till they came to a kind of bog-hole, beyond which they discovered
+the rebel pickets.
+
+The party lay down on the ground, and crawled on the edge of the bog,
+till they obtained a fair view of the rebels.
+
+"Now, uncle, the time has come, and my plan is formed," said Somers in a
+whisper. "When they discover you, retreat with the men as fast as you
+can. Fire on the rebels; but don't pay any attention to me."
+
+"Where are you going?" demanded the old man.
+
+"When you retire, I am going to roll into that grass. They will follow
+you; and, as soon as they have passed me, I shall move forward."
+
+"I won't do anything of the sort. Thunderation! you are goin' to run
+right into the arms of the rebels."
+
+"Obey my orders! That's all you have to do. I can take care of myself."
+
+"Excuse me, Tom--Lieutenant Somers."
+
+"I know all about it, uncle. You do what I tell you, and you shall have
+all the particulars to-night, when I return."
+
+"Return! You will be in Libby, if you are not shot, by dark."
+
+"If I am, leave that to me," replied Somers, as he rolled over into the
+long grass of the bog, and entirely concealed himself from the view of
+his own men. "Now fire one or two shots into the rebel picket and then
+retire."
+
+Hapgood reluctantly obeyed the order; though he felt as though he was
+signing the death-warrant of his young friend by doing so. The bullets
+began to fly; but the sergeant took care to keep his men out of sight as
+they retreated. The enemy followed; for they always chase a retiring foe,
+and run from an advancing one. They reached the bog in which Somers was
+concealed, where one of the three fell before a ball which the lieutenant
+was sure had been directed by the practiced eye of the veteran sergeant.
+The other two swore at the calamity, and vowed vengeance on the Yankee
+who had done the deed.
+
+Hapgood continued to retire, and led his foe to the very verge of the
+woods. In the meantime, the lieutenant emerged from his hiding-place. The
+first object that attracted his attention was the ghastly face of the
+dead rebel. The sight of him was not pleasant, but it was suggestive;
+and, without the loss of a moment, he dragged the body into the grass,
+and hastily removed the uniform from it. It was a loathsome task; but the
+necessity of the moment seemed to justify the act. Taking off his own
+uniform, he put on that of the dead rebel, who was fortunately about his
+own size. Rolling up his own clothing in as small a bundle as possible,
+he concealed it in the bog, at some distance from the place where the
+picket had fallen. Dragging the corpse to a quagmire, he sunk it beneath
+the muddy waters, and it passed from his view. After taking the
+precaution to straighten up the long grass, which might have betrayed his
+movements, he advanced towards the rebel lines.
+
+Lieutenant Somers felt that he was now actually embarked in his perilous
+venture. He was within the enemy's line, and in disguise. If discovered,
+he would be liable to the penalty of being a spy. But inasmuch as he did
+not intend to be discovered, he did not think it necessary to expend his
+nervous energy in a discussion of this question. Success was a duty to
+him; and he spent no time in considering the dark side of the picture.
+
+He was excited, and he knew that he was excited. He knew that coolness
+and impudence were the essential elements of success in such an
+adventure; and when he had followed the woods nearly to the top of the
+hill, he sat down to recover his self-possession, and compose his nerves
+to their natural quietude. It was not a very easy matter. He had already
+arranged his plan of future operations, and he diligently set about the
+business of making his appearance correspond with his circumstances.
+
+He felt that he was hardly dirty enough to be a rebel; so he rubbed his
+face, neck and hands with some dark-colored earth, ripped his pants and
+coat in sundry places, and otherwise disfigured his comely person, till
+Miss Lilian Ashford would not have known him, or if she had known him,
+would have been ashamed to acknowledge his acquaintance. Having completed
+this work to his entire satisfaction, he rose, and resumed his march
+towards the rebel line. He had advanced but a few paces before he felt
+something in the breast-pocket of his coat, which excited his curiosity.
+It was a diary which the dead soldier had kept from the time he entered
+the army.
+
+Such a work would have been deeply interesting to the lieutenant at any
+time, but especially at the present, when he was sadly in want of the
+information which would enable him to personate the difficult part he had
+chosen to perform. Seating himself on the ground again, he was soon
+absorbed in the contents of the note-book. The owner's name was Owen
+Raynes; and from the diary Somers learned that he had been a clerk in
+Richmond when the war broke out; and that his father resided on the
+Williamsburg road, near Seven Pines, where the battle had been fought.
+Somers was alarmed at this information; for the young man must be well
+known in the neighborhood. Of course he could not assume the name and
+character of Owen Raynes.
+
+Though the time was precious, he continued to read the diary till he came
+to an entry which excited his deep interest: "Poor Allan Garland was
+captured to-day by the Yankees; and I suppose they will torture and
+starve the poor fellow, as they have the rest of our boys who have fallen
+into their hands. We shall never meet again. He was a good fellow. He was
+on a scout."
+
+Somers was deeply concerned about poor Allan Garland, who had fallen into
+the hands of the terrible Yankees, to be tortured and starved; and he
+turned back to the beginning of the diary to obtain further particulars
+in regard to this interesting person. Fortunately for history, and
+particularly for Lieutenant Somers, Owen Raynes had given a tolerably
+full account of his friend. They had been to school together in Union,
+Alabama, where Owen had an uncle, and where Allan resided. They were fast
+friends; and both agreed to enlist as volunteers in the Fourth Alabama,
+Colonel Bush Jones; for their schoolmates were mostly in this regiment.
+
+When the regiment arrived at Richmond, Owen had not time to visit his
+father; for the troops were instantly ordered to Manassas, and he
+enrolled himself without discovering that his friend was not in the
+ranks. He was too sick to come with his comrades; "wrote letter to Allan"
+was a frequent entry in the diary, until June 18, 1862, when this record
+appears: "Allan joined the regiment to-day; has been sick about a year;
+is very well now; he is a handsome fellow. Sue shall be his wife, if I
+can bring it about; they have kept up a correspondence for three years;
+she never saw him, but she will like him."
+
+"All right!" exclaimed Somers, as he closed the book, and put it in his
+pocket. "I am Allan Garland. Don't think I shall marry Sue, though,
+whoever she may be. I wonder if Lilian Ashford would object. I don't know
+as she would. Never mind; I am a soldier of the Fourth Alabama, Colonel
+Jones, just now. How are you, Allan Garland?"
+
+He walked along towards the rebel lines, feeling in his pockets for
+further revelations. An old letter from Allan Garland rewarded his
+search. He spoke tenderly of Sue, who was Owen's sister.
+
+"Sue wouldn't think I'm very handsome just now," said Somers, glancing at
+his dirty hands, and imagining his dirty face, as he continued to
+advance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+ALLAN GARLAND AND FRIENDS
+
+
+Allan Garland, _née_ Somers, advanced confidently towards the rebel
+line. As he was to perform the leading part in the exciting drama about
+to be acted, he conducted himself with the utmost caution. Everything
+depended upon the amount of impudence he could bring to bear upon the
+case before him, and the skill with which he personated the part he had
+chosen. He knew of nothing, short of falling on the Fourth Alabama, which
+could disconcert him. Even if he did, there were only a few who knew the
+captured scout; and his chances were fair, even if the worst should
+befall him.
+
+"Stand!" said a rebel sentinel on the breastwork of the line. "Who goes
+there?"
+
+"Friend," replied Somers confidently.
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Allan Garland. Can you tell me where the Fourth Alabama is?"
+
+"About four miles from here. Do you belong to the Fourth Alabama?"
+
+"Well, I did before I was captured; I don't know where I belong now."
+
+"Where d'ye come from?"
+
+"Just got away from the Yankees. They gobbled me up about three weeks
+ago."
+
+"Bully for you! Come in; you can report to the officer of the day."
+
+Somers was entirely willing, and hastened in the direction indicated by
+the sentinel; and was soon ushered into the presence of Major Platner,
+brigade-officer of the day. He was a very pompous little man, and Somers
+saw his weakness as soon as he spoke. With a most profound bow, he
+answered the questions of the major, using the utmost deference in his
+tone and manner.
+
+"How dare you present yourself before an officer of the day with such a
+dirty face?" demanded Major Platner.
+
+"I hope your honor will pardon me; but I have just escaped from the
+Yankees, and have not had time to wash my face. If you please, sir, I
+will go and do it now. I thought I ought to come to you without any
+delay."
+
+"You did right, young man," replied the major with a consequential
+flourish of the hand. "You were out scouting when you were taken?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+Major Platner then proceeded to ask a great many questions in regard to
+the force and position of the Yankees; all of which Somers answered
+entirely in the interest of the Union party. He was very careful not to
+give a particle of information that could be useful to the rebels; at the
+same time avoiding any gross exaggerations which would throw discredit on
+his story.
+
+"You seem to be a very intelligent and patriotic young man," added the
+officer. "I have heard some inquiries for a person of your description
+to-day."
+
+"I have always endeavored to do my duty to my country," answered Somers,
+trying to blush under the compliment of the patronizing little major;
+"and I kept my eyes wide open while I was in the Yankee camps."
+
+"I see you did. Your information is very definite, and, I doubt not, very
+reliable."
+
+"My only desire has been to serve my country, sir," added Somers very
+modestly.
+
+"Well, go and wash your face, so that we can see what color you are, and
+I will report your name to the general, who was inquiring for a useful
+person like yourself. I trust that you will have discretion enough not to
+mention anything that has passed between us."
+
+"Certainly not, sir. I judge, from what you have said, that my poor
+services may be required for some special service."
+
+"That is the idea which I intended to convey. In a word, the commander of
+this division wants information. You have just come from the Yankee
+lines, and you know where to look for the intelligence that will be of
+the most value to us."
+
+"I think I do, sir."
+
+"The fact that you have just made your way through the Yankee lines shows
+that you possess the necessary address."
+
+"I thank you for your good opinion; and I assure you, sir, that I should
+be very glad to serve my country in any capacity in which she may require
+my humble labors."
+
+"Very well, young man."
+
+"A plan occurs to me now, by which I could easily enter the Yankee
+lines."
+
+"Indeed! What is that?"
+
+"When I ran through the enemy's pickets, they fired upon me, and one of
+them chased me. I brought him down with my pistol," replied Somers,
+producing the weapon, which he had taken the precaution to bring with
+him. "I know just where that Yankee lies now; I could borrow his uniform,
+and go in among the enemy without suspicion."
+
+"Very well arranged, young man."
+
+The major then directed an orderly to attend to the wants of the
+fugitive, and gave the latter orders to report to him within two hours.
+Somers washed his face, and partook of some cold bacon and corn bread,
+which constituted the staple of the rebel rations. He then told the
+orderly that he wanted to look round a little, and find his regiment, if
+he could; but was informed that the camp regulations did not permit any
+strolling about the camps. He suggested that the officer of the day would
+give him a pass, and he returned to the major to beg this favor. It was
+readily granted; and the time for him to report was extended to four
+hours, as his regiment was situated at some distance from the brigade
+camp, though it belonged to the same division.
+
+Thus provided, Somers commenced his tour of observation. Of course, he
+had no intention of visiting the Fourth Alabama; for that would have been
+putting his head into the lion's mouth. We need only say, that he used
+his time to the best advantage for the country in whose service he had
+enlisted. He noted the brigades, regiments, and batteries of artillery,
+which he saw in his walk; and arranged a little scheme in his mind, by
+which he could remember the number of each.
+
+In the course of his perambulations, he reached the Williamsburg road,
+and was on the point of extending his observations in the direction of
+the railroad, when he was stopped by a sentinel. He produced his pass,
+which the rebel soldier could not read; and he was conducted to the
+sergeant of the guard, who was listening to a conversation between a
+captain and an old man who appeared to be a farmer. They were bargaining
+about some forage which the captain wanted, and which the farmer was not
+disposed to sell.
+
+"What have you there?" demanded the officer, as the sentinel brought in
+the doubtful case.
+
+"Man with a pass."
+
+"Your pass is good up to the Williamsburg road, and no farther," said the
+sergeant when he had read the document.
+
+"I didn't know where the lines were," replied Somers, returning the pass
+to his pocket.
+
+"Where are you going?" asked the officer, apparently not satisfied with
+the appearance of the "man with a pass."
+
+"Looking for my regiment, sir," replied Somers, giving the military
+salute; which excess of politeness, however, was lost on the
+matter-of-fact captain.
+
+"What regiment?"
+
+"The Fourth Alabama."
+
+"The Fourth Alabama! What are you doing over here, then?"
+
+"I am a stranger in these parts; and I don't know where to look. I have
+just escaped from the Yankees, and don't know much about this part of the
+country."
+
+"What is your name?"
+
+"Allan Garland, sir."
+
+"What!" exclaimed the old farmer, suddenly becoming interested in the
+conversation.
+
+"In my opinion, you are a deserter," added the officer in a crabbed tone.
+"I advise you to arrest him, sergeant. That pass is good for nothing on
+this road."
+
+"No, captain, he is not a deserter," interposed the farmer with energy.
+"I know him well; and he is as true and patriotic a young man as there is
+in the Southern Confederacy."
+
+Somers looked at the farmer with astonishment. He did not remember to
+have seen him before; and he could not account for the interest he
+manifested in his case.
+
+"What do you know of him, Mr. Raynes?"
+
+Mr. Raynes! That explained the matter; and Somers could not help
+shuddering in the presence of the man whose son he had buried in the soft
+mud of the bog.
+
+"He is my son's friend," replied the farmer. "Both of them belong to the
+Fourth Alabama."
+
+"That may be, Mr. Raynes; but do you suppose a man looking for the Fourth
+Alabama would be wandering about here?"
+
+"He is a stranger in Virginia. He came on from Alabama only a few weeks
+since, and was captured while out on a scouting expedition. I assure you,
+captain, it is all right; I will vouch for him."
+
+"Very well, Mr. Raynes! If the sergeant is willing to take your word for
+it, I have nothing further to say. Indeed, it is no business of mine; but
+our soldiers are allowed to walk over to the enemy, or back into the
+woods, without let or hindrance. It's a disgrace to the service. Major
+Platner gives this man a pass to go all over the country. Do as you
+please, sergeant."
+
+"I mean to," replied the sergeant in an undertone; for he was not pleased
+at this interference on the part of a commissary of subsistence, who had
+nothing whatever to do with the affair. "I am satisfied," he added aloud.
+
+"Allan, I am very glad to see you; and I thank God that you have been
+enabled to escape from the Yankees. Have you seen Owen since you got
+back?"
+
+Somers trembled at the question; and, while he did not dare to tell the
+old man the truth, the thought of telling him a falsehood was utterly
+repulsive to his nature. It was easy enough to deceive the enemy in
+war--his duty called upon him to do this; but to deceive an old, fond
+father, in regard to a true and devoted son, seemed terrible to him.
+
+"He was out on picket when I came through," he replied after some
+hesitation.
+
+"Then you did not meet him. He will be delighted to see you again; for
+really the boy is as fond of you as he is of his sister."
+
+Somers found himself unable to answer to the warm congratulations of the
+old man, or to enter into the spirit of the conversation. The staring,
+death-sealed eyes of Owen Raynes haunted him; and, when he attempted to
+reciprocate the friendly sentiments of the doting father, his heart
+seemed to rise up in his throat, and choke his utterance. The only
+consolation he could derive from the remembrance of the scene in the
+woods was in the fact that he had not taken the life of Owen Raynes
+himself. He wore his clothes, and had his diary and letters in his
+pocket.
+
+"You are very sad, Allan! I should think you would be happy to escape
+from the Yankees. They would have starved you to death in time."
+
+"I think not, sir! They are not so cruel as that," added Somers, who
+desired to remove such a reproach from the mind of the old man.
+
+"Perhaps they would not willingly starve their prisoners; but I don't see
+how they could avoid it. They say that the people of the North are
+suffering terribly for the want of food. In New York, the laboring
+classes have attacked the banks and the flour-stores, urged on by hunger.
+There will be terrible times in the North before many months have gone
+by. I pity the people there, though it is their own fault. I hope God
+will be merciful to them, and spare them from some of the consequences of
+their own folly. I am thankful that you have escaped from them."
+
+"I don't think they are quite so badly off as you say," answered Somers,
+provoked by this view of the condition and resources of the North. "I
+have talked with a great many Yankee soldiers, and they say that plenty
+abounds in all the Northern States."
+
+"They would tell you so. They are deceived by their officers."
+
+"That's the way it is done," added the rebel sergeant, who had been
+listening to the conversation.
+
+"But I saw what rations these soldiers have. They live like lords."
+
+"That's the very thing which will starve all the people in the North.
+Their big armies will eat them out of house and home in a few months,
+Allan."
+
+"I think not, Mr. Raynes."
+
+"A gentleman from New York, who got through the lines last week, says the
+grass is a foot high in some of the streets of New York. The people can't
+find anything to do, and are cursing their rulers for plunging them into
+this horrid war."
+
+"I think the gentleman from New York lied," replied Somers with a smile.
+"I saw the New York papers every day while I was in the Yankee lines; and
+they are full of advertisements, which look like business. Why, in one
+paper I saw four columns of 'Wants,' in which people advertised for
+farm-laborers, house-servants, clerks and sailors."
+
+"Ah! Allan, those papers are printed to sell in the Yankee army. I'm sure
+I hope they are not so badly off as has been represented. I should not
+want my worst enemy to suffer what they are called upon to endure. It is
+all their own fault; but I hope God will be merciful to them."
+
+"I think you needn't feel bad about them," added Somers, amused, but
+indignant at the pitiful stories which were circulated in the South to
+keep up the courage of the people.
+
+"Let that pass, then. Really, Allan, I am very glad to see you. You must
+go to the house with me. Sue will be delighted to meet you. She talks
+about you a great deal; and I can insure you a warm welcome."
+
+"I think I cannot stop to call now; but I will try to come over in a few
+days," replied Somers, embarrassed beyond measure at the idea of facing
+Sue and the rest of the family.
+
+"Not stop!" exclaimed Mr. Raynes, holding up his hands with surprise.
+
+"Not now, sir; I am in no condition to appear before ladies," he added,
+extending his arms so as to display his tattered garments to the fullest
+advantage. "You know a young man is rather particular about his
+appearance when he is going into the company of ladies, and especially
+into the presence of _some_ ladies. The fact is, I tore my uniform all to
+pieces after I passed through the Yankee lines."
+
+"Never mind your uniform, my boy. It looks as though it had seen service;
+and that is the best recommendation a young man can have to the girls in
+these times. You must go, Allan."
+
+"Indeed, sir, I hope you will excuse me for a few days," pleaded Somers.
+
+"Come, Allan! this is not kind of you. Sue has been dying to see you for
+a year. She was terribly disappointed when you did not come up with your
+regiment, and again when she heard you had joined without calling upon
+us. If it had been Owen, she could not have felt worse when you were
+captured. Now you want to disappoint her again."
+
+"You need not mention that you have seen me, Mr. Raynes," suggested
+Somers.
+
+"Not tell her that you have escaped, when she is fretting about you every
+day of her life! That would be too bad."
+
+"You can tell her as much as you please without informing her that you
+have seen me."
+
+"I could not tell a lie, Allan. It would choke me," said the old man
+solemnly. "You must go with me."
+
+"Let me get another uniform, and it would surprise her when I come."
+
+"No more words, young man. You must go. It is only a short distance,"
+replied Mr. Raynes, passing his arm through that of Somers, and walking
+towards his house. "It will be the happiest day for Sue which she has
+seen for a year."
+
+"Happier for her than it will be for me," thought Somers, who was
+disposed to break away from the old man, and make his escape.
+
+By this time, Sue had become an awful bugbear to the poor fellow. In
+these days of photographs, it is more than probable that she had a
+picture of the original Allan Garland, and the cheat would be discovered
+the moment he showed his face. He was deliberating a plan for breaking
+away from his persistent friend, when a young lady of eighteen stepped
+out from the bushes by the roadside, and hailed the old man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE VIRGINIA MAIDEN
+
+
+"Where have you been, father?" said the young lady in a very sweet and
+gentle tone, which, however, sounded like the knell of doom to poor
+Somers. "I have been waiting for you half an hour."
+
+But then, perceiving a stranger with her father, she drew back, abashed
+at her own forwardness.
+
+"Come here, Sue," said the old man. "Come here; I want to see you."
+
+She advanced timidly from the bushes where she had been partially
+concealed from the gaze of the passers-by. She was certainly a very
+pleasant and comely-looking maiden; but, if she had been the "Witch of
+Endor," she could not have been any more disagreeable to Somers. He was
+as fond of adventure as any young man; and if he could have forgotten
+that poor Owen Raynes, the son and the brother, was at that moment lying
+in the mud of the swamp; his manly form no more to gladden the hearts of
+those who stood before him; his voice hushed in death, no more to utter
+the accents of affection to the devoted father and his loving sister--if
+he could have forgotten his relations with the dead Owen, he might even
+have enjoyed the exciting situation in which he was placed.
+
+Sue, with a blushing face and half-averted gaze, stepped out into the
+road, and stole a few timid glances at the young lieutenant. It was quite
+evident that she did not have a suspicion of the identity of the young
+soldier before her. Her father appeared to have a vein of romance in his
+character, and was disposed to torture her for a time with the torments
+of suspense, before he declared to her the astounding truth, that the
+young soldier was her well-known but hitherto unseen friend from Alabama,
+the bosom companion of her brother Owen, and, if everything worked as the
+loving conspirators intended, the future husband of the affectionate
+maiden.
+
+She did not like to ask who the stranger was; and she thought it was very
+provoking of her father not to tell her, when she was so fearfully
+embarrassed by her position. She continued to blush; and Somers felt so
+awkward, that he couldn't help joining her in this interesting display of
+roses on the cheeks.
+
+"Don't you know him, Sue?" demanded the farmer, when he had tantalized
+her as long as the circumstances would warrant.
+
+"Why, of course I don't, father!" stammered the Virginia maiden.
+
+"Look in his face, and see if you can't tell," persisted Mr. Raynes.
+
+"How absurd, father!"
+
+"Absurd, child? Not at all absurd! Haven't you his picture in the house?
+And, if I mistake not, you have looked at it as many as three times a day
+for the last year."
+
+"Now, father, you are too bad! I haven't done anything of the sort,"
+protested Sue, pouting and twisting her shoulders as any country girl,
+who had not been trained in a satinwood seminary, would have done under
+such trying circumstances. "You don't mean to say that is Allan Garland?"
+added she, her pretty face lighting up with an expression of intense
+satisfaction.
+
+"But I do, Sue," replied Mr. Raynes with emphasis.
+
+"Why, Allan! I am so glad to see you! I was afraid I should never see
+you!" exclaimed Sue, rushing up to the young man, and extending both her
+hands, which he felt compelled to accept.
+
+He was fearful that she would kiss him; and, though he would have been
+under obligations to submit to the infliction, he was not sure that the
+operation would not cause him to faint. Fortunately for him, Sue was
+reasonable in her behavior; and he escaped cheaper than he expected, when
+he beheld the impetuous charge which the maiden made upon him. If he had
+really been Allan Garland, his reception would have been entirely proper,
+and highly creditable to the affectionate nature of the Virginia damsel.
+He was not the young gentleman from Alabama; and he felt as though he had
+been flanked on both sides, with no chance to beat off the enemy in
+front, or to run away in the rear. He was only a short distance from a
+line of rebel sentinels, and he did not consider it prudent to escape by
+taking to his legs. He did not wear his fighting socks at this time, and
+felt that it would be no disgrace to run away from such an enemy as that
+which confronted him.
+
+"I am very glad to see you, Allan," repeated Sue, as the wretched young
+man did not venture to use his tongue.
+
+"Thank you, thank you, Miss Raynes!" said he at last, when silence seemed
+even more dangerous than speech.
+
+"Miss Raynes! Dear me, Allan, how very formal and precise you are! You
+called me Sue in your letters."
+
+"Did I? Well, I didn't know it," replied Somers with a stroke of candor
+not to be expected under the circumstances.
+
+"Certainly you did. I don't think you ever mentioned such a person as
+Miss Raynes."
+
+"I am confident I didn't," added he with another touch of candor. "But I
+will always call you Sue hereafter, when I have occasion to speak to
+you."
+
+"Thank you, Allan! You begin to sound a little like yourself."
+
+Somers was very glad to hear it, but wished he had been five miles off,
+even if it had been in the very jaws of the Fourth Alabama.
+
+"You don't look a bit like your photograph," continued Sue, gazing with
+admiration at the face of the young man; for which those who ever saw
+Lieutenant Somers will cheerfully pardon her.
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"I'm sure you don't."
+
+"That's very strange. Everybody who has seen my photograph says it looks
+exactly like me."
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"I gave one to a young lady of my acquaintance, who said it was perfect."
+
+"Indeed! Who was she?"
+
+"She is a young lady whom I have met only two or three times."
+
+"What is her name?"
+
+"Lilian Ashford."
+
+"What a pretty name!" said Sue, endeavoring to be magnanimous; though it
+was evident that she was troubled by the honest avowal of the young
+soldier.
+
+"Where does she live?"
+
+"She is at the North, now," answered Somers, who could not bear to tell a
+lie when there was no need of such a sacrifice.
+
+He was becoming very uneasy under this rigid catechizing, and hoped she
+would not ask any more questions about Lilian Ashford. He had mentioned
+her name with the hope that it might produce a coldness on her part which
+would afford him some advantage. She did not, however, seem to be
+annihilated by the prospect of a rival, and was proceeding to interrogate
+him still further in regard to the lady, with whom he was apparently
+intimate enough to present her his photograph, when Mr. Raynes reminded
+her that they were standing in the road, and had better go into the
+house.
+
+"Now, Mr. Raynes, as I have seen Sue, and Sue has seen me, I think I had
+better hasten to my regiment," suggested Somers.
+
+"Not yet, Allan," replied the old man.
+
+"Do you wish to run away, and leave me so soon, you monster?" added Sue.
+"I tell you, sir, I shall not let you go yet."
+
+"But, Sue! you forget that I have just returned from the Yankees. I was
+furnished with a pass, to enable me to find my regiment."
+
+"You shall find it in good time."
+
+"Come to the house, Allan: we will not detain you long," added Mr.
+Raynes.
+
+"You must and shall come!" protested Sue, taking him by the arm, and
+absolutely compelling him to go, or be guilty of the most unpardonable
+rudeness to the fair Virginia damsel.
+
+"I should be very glad to go with you, Sue, if my duty did not call me
+elsewhere. I am to be sent off on very important service."
+
+"Again?--so soon?"
+
+"This very day. I may never see you again."
+
+"And you would coolly run away and leave me without even going into the
+house!"
+
+"But my duty, Sue!"
+
+"You will be in time for your duty."
+
+"I may be arrested as a deserter."
+
+"Nonsense! You have a pass in your pocket."
+
+"In spite of the pass, if your father had not happened to see me, I
+should have been arrested, and might have spent a day or two in the
+guardhouse before the case could have been explained."
+
+"No more argument, Allan," said the persevering girl. "Here is the house;
+you shall go in and look at mother, if you don't stop but a minute.
+Besides, I want to see your photograph while you are present; for I am
+sure you don't look any more like the picture than the picture does like
+you."
+
+"Probably not," replied Somers, as the resolute maiden dragged him into
+the house; where, without stopping to breathe, she presented him to her
+mother, with the astounding declaration, that he was Allan Garland.
+
+Mrs. Raynes gave him a cordial Virginia welcome; and, while he was
+endeavoring to make himself as agreeable as possible to the old lady, Sue
+rushed up-stairs to procure the faithless photograph. She returned in a
+moment with the picture in her hand, and proceeded at once to institute a
+comparison between the shadow and the substance.
+
+"Now, stand up here, sir, and let me see," said she, as she playfully
+whisked him round and scrutinized his features. "I told you it did not
+look like you; and I am very sure now that it does not."
+
+"Let me see," added Somers, extending his hand for the picture.
+
+"Will you promise to give it back to me?"
+
+"Certainly I will! You don't imagine I would be so mean as to confiscate
+it?"
+
+"I should not care much if you did, now that I have found out it does not
+look any more like you than it does like me," she answered, handing him
+the photograph.
+
+"Where did you get this picture, Sue?"
+
+"Where did I get it? Well, that is cool! Didn't you send it to me
+yourself?" And Sue began to exhibit some symptoms of amazement.
+
+"I am very sure I never sent you this picture," added Somers gravely.
+
+"You did not?"
+
+"Never."
+
+"Why, Allan Garland!"
+
+"This is not my picture."
+
+"I shouldn't think it was."
+
+Thereupon Mr. Raynes began to laugh in the most immoderate manner;
+opening his mouth wide enough to take in a very small load of hay, and
+shaking his sides in the most extraordinary style.
+
+"What are you laughing at, pa?" demanded Sue, blushing up to the eyes, as
+though she already felt the force of some keenly satirical remark which
+was struggling for expression in the mouth of the farmer.
+
+"To think you have been looking at that picture three times a day for a
+year, studying, gazing at it; kissing it, for aught I know; and then to
+find out that it is not Allan after all!" roared the Virginia farmer
+between the outbreaks of his mirth. "I haven't done anything but groan
+since the war began, and it does me good to laugh. I haven't had a jolly
+time before since the battle of Bull Run, as the Yankees call it."
+
+"You are the most absurd pa in Virginia. I didn't look at it three times
+a day, I never studied it, and I'm sure I never kissed it. No wonder
+Allan wants to get away, when he finds what an absurd girl you make me
+out to be. You think I'm a fool, don't you, Allan?"
+
+"I do not, by any means. I'm sure, if I had your picture, I shouldn't
+have been ashamed to look at it three times a day," replied Somers,
+gallantly coming to the rescue of the maiden. "But, really, my Virginia
+patriarch," he added, using an expression which he had found in the
+correspondence in his pocket, "I must tear myself away."
+
+"You seem to be glad enough to go," pouted Sue.
+
+"Sorry to go, but compelled by the duty I owe my country to leave you."
+
+"When will you come again?"
+
+"Of course, that question I cannot answer. I may never see you again.
+This is a terrible war, and we cannot tell what a day may bring forth,"
+replied Somers solemnly; and the thought was all the more solemn when he
+thought of the cold corpse of the son and brother concealed in the mire
+of the swamp.
+
+He had seen the old man laugh as none but a happy man can; and he could
+not help feeling what a terrible revulsion a few words from him might
+cause. He had watched the playful manner of Sue, and had joined in the
+gay raillery of the moment. A word from him would crush her spirit, and
+bow that loving mother to the ground. The scene had not been one of his
+own choosing; and he would gladly escape the necessity of dissembling
+before those affectionate hearts.
+
+"We are on the eve of a terrible battle," added the old man very gravely.
+"Hundreds of our poor boys went down yesterday, never to rise again. We
+tremble when we think of you in the field. I may never see my son again;
+for the issue of the war may depend on the battles of the next few days."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+Mr. Raynes seemed to know more than he had dared to speak; and Somers was
+full of interest.
+
+"The Yankees, who expect to go into Richmond, will be driven down the
+Peninsula, where they came up, like flying sheep, within a week. I have
+heard a few words, which satisfies me that great events are coming."
+
+Though it was not supposable that the people in the vicinity of Richmond
+knew the plans of General Lee, from what he had seen, and from what he
+had heard from men in power, he had formed a very correct idea of the
+intended operations of the rebel chief; and he stated his views very
+clearly to Somers. While he was listening to the old man's theory, Mrs.
+Raynes had spread her table, and placed upon it such food as was
+available for a hasty lunch. She insisted that he should partake; and,
+while he enjoyed the welcome refreshment, Mr. Raynes told him everything
+about the movements of the Confederate army in the vicinity, with full
+particulars of the battle of the preceding day. While the scout was thus
+answering the ends of his mission, he was in no hurry to depart.
+
+General McClellan's "change of base" was not suspected by the rebels at
+this time. It was their purpose to flank the Union army on the right and
+left, and destroy it effectually. The dispositions had been made for this
+purpose; and, as Mr. Raynes was a man of influence and intelligence, his
+information was as reliable as could be deduced from the preliminary
+movements of the rebel army. He was confident of success. The execution
+of the plan had already been commenced, and the right of the Union line
+was in the act of falling back.
+
+He expatiated upon the perils of the campaign, and the terrible fighting
+which was to be expected; and manifested the utmost solicitude for the
+safety of his son, and hardly less for his guest.
+
+Somers prolonged his repast, that the old man might leave nothing unsaid
+that would be important for the Union generals to know. Sue occasionally
+joined in the conversation; but she was quite serious now, as she
+contemplated the perils to which her brother and her friend from Alabama
+must be subjected.
+
+"Do you know where General Jackson is now?" asked Somers.
+
+"I don't know exactly where he is; but I know what part he has to play in
+the great drama. The last we heard of him was, that he was watching
+McDowell, near Fredericksburg. If McDowell keeps quiet, Jackson will rush
+down on the left flank of the Yankees, and cut off their retreat."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"I am very sure. I can tell you why."
+
+Before he had time to tell him why, a knock at the door disturbed the
+conference; and a young man, in a tattered rebel uniform, was ushered
+into the room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE DIGNIFIED YOUNG REBEL
+
+
+Lieutenant Somers, who had been very nervous and uneasy before, was
+exceedingly annoyed by the appearance of another actor on the stage. He
+had become in some slight degree familiarized with the awkwardness of his
+situation; for the fact, that no suspicion had yet been cast upon his
+identity, was encouraging, and he began to have some confidence in his
+position, open as it was to an assault from any direction. The advent of
+the tattered stranger was a new cause for alarm, and he at once became
+very anxious to beat a retreat.
+
+There is no night without some ray of light to gladden it. His first
+impression was that the visitor belonged to the Fourth Alabama, and would
+readily recognize him as an impostor; but he was in a measure relieved to
+find that none of the family gave the soldier more than a friendly
+greeting, which proved him to be a stranger to them as well as to
+himself. Yet he might belong to the Fourth Alabama; and then it occurred
+to him that the man had come to inform Mr. Raynes of the death of his son
+while on picket duty.
+
+In the brief period which elapsed between the advent of the stranger, and
+the statement of the object of his visit, Somers was disturbed by a dozen
+fearful theories; all of which seemed to end in a rebel prison at
+Richmond, and even in a rebel gallows--the fate of the spy. The minutes
+were fearfully long; and, before the momentous question of the object of
+the stranger's visit could be introduced, he decided to make an abrupt
+retreat.
+
+"Well, Mr. Raynes," said he, approaching the old man as he put on his
+cap, "I have already run a great risk in stopping here so long; and, with
+many thanks to you for your kindness and for your generous hospitality, I
+must take my departure."
+
+"I suppose we cannot keep you any longer, Allan; but you must promise to
+call again at the first convenient opportunity."
+
+"I promise you that I will the first time I can safely do so," responded
+Somers warmly, and with the fullest intention of redeeming his promise.
+"Good-by, sir!"
+
+"Good-by, my dear boy! May you be spared in the hour when the strong men
+bite the dust!" said Mr. Raynes solemnly, as he gave his hand to Somers.
+
+"Good-by, Sue!" added the young lieutenant, taking the hand of the
+Virginia damsel.
+
+"Adieu, my brave soldier-boy!" she replied.
+
+"You are a soldier, I see," said the stranger, as Somers approached him
+on his way out of the house.
+
+"Yes, sir," answered the latter nervously; for he would gladly have
+escaped any communication with the newcomer.
+
+"What regiment do you belong to?" persisted the dilapidated soldier.
+
+What business was that to him? Why should he trouble himself about other
+people's affairs? It sounded like a very impertinent question to the
+excited lieutenant, and he was tempted to inform the busy-body that it
+was none of his business; but, as he had already earned a good character
+for civility with the interesting family in whose presence he still
+stood, his bump of approbation would not permit him to forfeit their
+esteem by so inconsiderate a reply.
+
+"Good-by, all!" said he with energy, turning away from the rebel soldier,
+and moving towards the door.
+
+"What regiment did you say you belonged to?" demanded the persistent
+rebel.
+
+"I didn't say," replied Somers, not in the most gentle tones.
+
+"Will you oblige me by telling me to what regiment you belong?" added the
+rebel.
+
+"I think I will not," continued Somers, more and more displeased with the
+persistence of the other. "I came very near being arrested as a deserter
+just now, though I have a pass in my pocket; and I don't care about
+exposing myself to any further annoyance by my own indiscretion."
+
+"I assure you I am a friend, and I would not betray you if I knew you
+were a deserter," said the stranger in very civil tones.
+
+Thus appealed to, and perceiving that he was not gaining in the
+estimation of Mr. Raynes by his reticence, he decided that he could not
+make the matter much worse by answering the question.
+
+"To the Fourth Alabama," he replied desperately; "but you must excuse me;
+for I am in a tremendous hurry."
+
+"The Fourth Alabama! I thought so," exclaimed the stranger with a
+pleasant smile, as though the information was particularly agreeable to
+him. "I belong to the Fourth Alabama myself."
+
+"Do you, indeed?" added Somers with the most intense disquiet, wishing
+all the time that the soldier had been in Alabama, or anywhere but in the
+house of Mr. Raynes.
+
+"Can you tell me where the regiment is?"
+
+"I cannot. I have been looking for it myself for the last two hours. As I
+can be of no assistance to you, you will excuse me if I leave you."
+
+"Not so fast, comrade; I will go with you. I have some directions which I
+think will enable us to find the regiment; and, if you please, I will
+bear you company."
+
+Somers did not please; but he could hardly refuse the offer without
+exciting the suspicion of the family, which he felt might be fatal to
+him. It would be better to depart with the member of the Fourth Alabama,
+and part company with him by force of stratagem when they had left the
+house.
+
+"I won't keep you waiting but a minute. I called here to see my friends;
+but none of them seem to know me. You are Mr. Raynes, I presume?"
+continued the soldier, addressing the old man.
+
+"I am; but I don't remember to have ever seen you before," replied the
+farmer.
+
+"You never did, sir; but I will venture to say that my name is well known
+in this house," added the soldier with a mysterious smile, which caused
+Somers to dread some new development that would compromise him.
+
+"Ah!" said Mr. Raynes, ever ready to welcome any one who had the
+slightest claim upon his hospitality.
+
+"I am well acquainted with your son, Owen; I suppose I shall not be
+disputed here, when I say that he is the best fellow in the world. Don't
+you know me now?" demanded the tantalizing rebel, who appeared to be very
+anxious to have his identity made out in the natural way, and without any
+troublesome explanations.
+
+"Really, I do not," answered Mr. Raynes, much perplexed by the confident
+manner of the visitor.
+
+"This is Sue, I suppose?" pursued the soldier, advancing to the maiden,
+and extending his dirty hand; which, however, was not much dirtier than
+that which she had so eagerly grasped before. "Don't you know who I am,
+Sue?"
+
+"I do not, sir," she replied rather coldly.
+
+"When I tell you that I belong to the Fourth Alabama, don't you know me?"
+
+"I do not, sir."
+
+"And when I tell you that I am the intimate friend of your brother Owen?"
+
+Allan Garland stood by the door; and, of course, it was not he; therefore
+she could not, by any possibility, conceive who he was; and she said so,
+in terms as explicit as the occasion required.
+
+"I live in Union, Alabama, when I am at home. Don't you know me _now_,
+Sue?" persisted the perplexed visitor, who, perhaps, began to think he
+had entered the wrong house.
+
+If the veritable Allan Garland, however little his photograph resembled
+him, had not stood by the door, she would have been rejoiced to see him,
+and to recognize in him her unknown friend and correspondent. As it was,
+she did not know him; and she was candid enough to express her conviction
+without reserve, in spite of the disagreeable effect which her want of
+perception seemed to produce upon the mind of the stranger.
+
+"This is very strange," said the soldier, taking off his cap, and rubbing
+his head to quicken his faculties, which seemed to have led him into some
+unaccountable blunder. "Will you be kind enough to inform me who lives in
+this house?"
+
+"Mr. Raynes," replied Sue, quite as much mystified as the stranger seemed
+to be.
+
+"There is some mistake; but I can't make out what it is," said the
+stranger.
+
+"I cannot wait any longer," said Somers, who had been riveted to the spot
+by the astounding revelation to which he had just listened.
+
+He had been almost paralyzed by the words of the rebel, in whom he
+promptly recognized the young man whose name and antecedents he had
+borrowed for the present occasion. His first impression was to take to
+his heels, and to run away; but a certain worldly prudence prevented him
+from adopting this doubtful policy. If you attempt to run away from an
+angry dog, he will certainly bite you; whereas, by facing him boldly, you
+may escape all injury. This fact, which Somers had fully exemplified in
+his own experience before he left Pinchbrook, was the foundation of his
+action. Seeing that the stranger was perplexed and annoyed by the failure
+of the family to recognize him, even after he had told them everything
+except his name, he decided that he might safely retire under the plea of
+haste.
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir, for this intrusion," said the soldier, blushing
+with mortification as he retreated a pace towards the door. "You will
+excuse me, Miss Raynes, for my unwarrantable familiarity; but I have made
+a blunder, or you have," he added rather bitterly. "Perhaps, when Owen
+comes to introduce me, you will know me better."
+
+"Owen's friends are my friends, young man; and you are as welcome as my
+son would be, whoever you are."
+
+"Thank you, sir; but, with many regrets for this intrusion, I will take
+my leave."
+
+"No, no, my young friend," interposed the old man. "You must not leave us
+in this manner. It is true, we do not recognize you; but you are none the
+less welcome on that account."
+
+"Thank you kindly, sir. I have deceived myself into the belief that I was
+better known here than I find I am. It was weak in me to thrust myself
+across your threshold without an introduction; and, if you will pardon
+me, I will leave you, with the promise to come again with Owen."
+
+"Not yet, sir; at least, not till you have told us who you are."
+
+"Excuse me; but I must go now," replied the young rebel with an
+exhibition of gentle dignity, which quite won the heart of Somers, as it
+did that of the family.
+
+"Pray, give me your name, sir," interposed Sue, whose woman's curiosity
+could no longer endure the silence which maidenly reserve had imposed
+upon her, especially as the stranger proposed to depart without solving
+the mystery.
+
+"You'll excuse me, Miss Raynes, if I decline for the present. My comrade
+is in a desperate hurry, and it is not reasonable for me to detain him
+any longer."
+
+"But, young man, you wrong me, you wrong my daughter, and above all, you
+wrong my son, who is your friend, by leaving in this manner," said Mr.
+Raynes earnestly. "You actually charge us with a want of hospitality by
+this abrupt withdrawal."
+
+"You will pardon me, sir, for saying it; but after the description I have
+given of myself, if you do not know me, I am compelled to believe that it
+is because you do not wish to know me."
+
+"That is very unjust, and we do not comprehend the force of the remark."
+
+"Why, sir, I have written to you, and to your daughter, and your daughter
+has written to me; and now you seem never to have heard of me. I have
+told you that I reside in Union, Alabama; and that I am a friend of
+Owen."
+
+"We know a young man from that town very well, though we never saw him.
+His name is Allan Garland; but it is impossible that you should be the
+person."
+
+"I must go, comrade," said Somers desperately, as he rushed out of the
+door.
+
+"Wait a moment!" exclaimed Mr. Raynes, grasping him by the arm; for the
+old farmer seemed to think his presence was necessary to the perfect
+unraveling of the mystery. "It seems to me you ought to know this young
+man, if none of us do."
+
+"I do not, Mr. Raynes; never saw him before in my life," protested
+Somers, feeling very much like a condemned criminal.
+
+"My name is Allan Garland," quietly continued the dignified young rebel.
+"I am, undoubtedly, the person to whom you allude."
+
+"Impossible!" exclaimed Mr. Raynes, still holding Somers's arm with the
+grasp of a vise.
+
+"Impossible!" almost shouted the fair Sue, more excited than she would
+have been, if, through patient reading, she had arrived at the last
+chapter of a sensational novel, where the pin is pulled out and all the
+villains tumble down to perdition and all the angels stumble upon their
+apotheosis.
+
+"Impossible!" chimed in Mrs. Raynes, who had preserved a most remarkable
+silence, for a woman, during the exciting incidents we have transcribed.
+
+"May I be allowed to inquire why you think it is impossible?" calmly
+demanded the gentle rebel, who, in his turn, was amazed at the singular
+course of events.
+
+Sue did not know what else to do; so she sat down in a chair, and laughed
+with hysterical vehemence at the strange aspect of the affair. The old
+man opened his eyes, and opened his mouth; but he did not forget to hold
+on with all his might to the arm of the unfortunate lieutenant, who was
+just then picturing to himself the interior of a rebel dungeon; which
+view suddenly dissolved into an indistinct representation of a tree, from
+a stout limb of which was suspended a rope, hanging down over a
+cart--these latter appurtenances being symbolical of the usual rebel
+method of hanging a spy.
+
+The affair, which had been growing desperate for some time, had now
+actually become so to poor Somers. He placed his hand upon his revolver,
+in the breast-pocket of his coat; but some prudential considerations
+interposed to prevent him from using it. The house was on a line of rebel
+sentinels. Whole divisions of Confederate infantry, artillery and
+cavalry, were encamped around him, and any violent movement on his part
+would have been sure to result in an ignominious disaster. The doughty
+old farmer, who was not less than six feet three in his stockinged feet,
+held on to him as a drowning man clings to a floating spar. It was not
+possible to get away without resorting to violence; and if he offered any
+resistance to what, just then, looked like manifest destiny, the rebel
+soldier would become an ally of the farmer, and the women could call in
+the sentinels, if nothing more.
+
+"Really, Mr. Raynes, you are very unkind to detain me, when I tell you
+that my leave has nearly expired," said Somers, when he had fully
+measured the situation; which, however, was done in a tithe of the time
+which we have taken to transcribe it.
+
+"Young man, there is some _mistake_," said Mr. Raynes, placing a wicked
+emphasis on the word, which went to the very core of the scout's heart.
+"This man says he is Allan Garland, and you say you are Allan Garland.
+One of you is an impostor. Neither of you shall go till we determine
+which is the one. Sue, bring out your photograph again."
+
+"Oh, dear!" gasped Somers, as in a fit of momentary despondency, he gave
+himself up for lost, when the maiden went for the picture.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL
+
+
+Miss Sue hastened to procure the photograph, which she had placed in her
+mother's room after it had been fully discussed by herself and the
+supposed original. At the same time, her father conducted Somers into the
+room again; and, being fully conscious of his desire to get away, he kept
+a watchful eye upon him, though he removed his grasp from the arm. The
+rebel soldier looked on in utter amazement at the singular proceedings of
+all the party, and seemed utterly unable to comprehend the meaning of
+them.
+
+"Here is the picture," said Sue, returning with the photograph in her
+hand; "but I don't see that it looks any more like you than it does like
+the other gentleman;" and she proceeded to institute a comparison between
+the new claimant and the picture.
+
+Somers began to cherish a faint hope again, and to be very grateful for
+the general truth, that photographs do not always look like the
+originals. This encouragement, slight as it was, gave our hero a new
+inspiration, and in a measure restored his impudence; which, under the
+pressure of circumstances, had begun to give way.
+
+"I am sure it does not look at all like you," continued Sue, after she
+had patiently balanced all the points of resemblance, and all the points
+of disagreement.
+
+"You should remember that the picture was taken more than a year ago; and
+that I have been an invalid for ten months of the time," suggested the
+rebel soldier.
+
+"That may be; but I am sure this picture could never have been taken for
+you."
+
+"Let me see it, if you please?"
+
+Sue handed him the card, and he glanced at it with an expression of great
+curiosity.
+
+"Where did you get this picture?" demanded he.
+
+"It was sent to me by the original," replied she.
+
+"This is not my picture."
+
+"That is just what the other gentleman said; and I am perfectly willing
+to believe both of you."
+
+"But I sent you a picture of myself, though this is not the one."
+
+"Well, that is very singular."
+
+"If you will remember, there were two in the same letter; the other was a
+young man whom Owen was acquainted with, and who desired something to
+remember him by. He is in a Mississippi regiment now."
+
+"Dear me! what a blunder!" exclaimed Sue, laughing heartily. "I am sure I
+took the best looking of the two for Allan Garland's."
+
+"Perhaps that is not very complimentary to me; but where is the other
+picture?"
+
+"I put it in Owen's room. I told him what I had done with the two
+pictures; but he has been at home so little, that I suppose he never
+looked at them. I will get the other."
+
+"We are beginning to get a little light on the subject," said Mr. Raynes,
+when his daughter had left the room.
+
+"And I think you will let a little light through my body with a
+bullet-hole," added Somers, whose last hope was gone again, though his
+impudence still remained.
+
+"Be patient, young man; we shall soon see the mystery explained, and be
+able to inform you whether you are Allan Garland or not."
+
+"I am sorry to put you to so much trouble, Mr. Raynes; but you will
+remember that I was very much opposed to coming into your house at all;
+that I was literally dragged in by yourself and your daughter."
+
+"And you will also remember that I saved you from arrest, when you gave
+your name as Allan Garland, of the Fourth Alabama. I think I have
+imparted to you some very valuable information; and I intend to see what
+use is to be made of it, before I take my eyes off you."
+
+"You are very affectionate, Mr. Raynes; and, in behalf of the great
+Southern Confederacy, I thank you for the zeal and loyalty which you have
+displayed," replied Somers boldly; for it was plain that nothing but the
+most brazen impudence could save him.
+
+"You are a bold youth, and it is plain that you have brilliant talents; I
+hope they have not been abused."
+
+"They have been, and will continue to be, used in the service of my
+suffering country."
+
+"I like you, and I hope everything is all right about you; but I cannot
+see your object in coming here under an assumed name."
+
+"Then you have decided the case against me--have you?" said Somers,
+glancing at the rival Allan.
+
+"Perhaps I was a little too fast," added the old man, mortified to find
+that his character for strict justice had been compromised by this hasty
+avowal.
+
+Sue was absent a long time; and it was clear that the photograph had been
+mislaid. Somers was in hopes she would not be able to find it; though he
+had but a meager expectation of over-throwing the claims of his rival to
+the name of Allan Garland. It was a hot day, and the windows of the house
+were all open. His legs seemed to promise the only satisfactory solution
+of the problem; and while he was considering the propriety of jumping out
+through one of the open windows, and trusting to them for safety, Sue
+returned with the photograph.
+
+"This looks more like you than the other; and more like you than it does
+like the other gentleman," said Sue.
+
+The rebel soldier took the card, and acknowledged that it was his
+photograph; at the same time, he was compelled to allow that it was but
+an indifferent likeness of himself. His hard service in the army had
+changed his appearance much. Sue gazed at the picture, and at the
+original, and her father did the same; but both of them were in doubt.
+
+"There, sir! I have waited patiently for you to end this farce," said
+Somers, in deep disgust apparently. "You have looked at the pictures, and
+you are not satisfied yet. I can stand it no longer; I am tired of the
+whole thing. You have treated me very handsomely, and I am grateful to
+you for your kindness to me; but I cannot and will not remain any
+longer."
+
+Somers spoke decidedly, and was fully resolved to use his pistol, if
+occasion required. He was not willing to remain for a decision to be made
+between him and the other claimant.
+
+"I will go with you, brother Allan Garland," said the rebel soldier
+facetiously; "I think between us we can readily decide which is the right
+man."
+
+"I am ready."
+
+"But we desire to be satisfied, especially in regard to this young man,
+who was suspected of being a deserter, and for whom I feel that I am
+responsible," said Mr. Raynes.
+
+"I can do nothing for you, sir," replied Somers.
+
+"But I can do something for you; and I propose to take you to the
+sergeant where I found you, and let the military authorities decide,"
+continued the old man, whose ire was roused, as he moved towards the
+impudent young man.
+
+"I propose that you shall do nothing of the kind," answered Somers,
+drawing the pistol, and cocking it for use.
+
+"Don't, father, don't!" exclaimed Sue, rushing between Mr. Raynes and the
+active youth, pale with terror.
+
+Somers would have been very unwilling to use his weapon on the old man.
+He pitied him, and could not help thinking of the terrible blow which was
+in store for him when he should hear that his only son had been killed.
+He hoped that something would interpose to prevent any violence, and he
+expected much from the gentle dignity of the young rebel.
+
+"I am sorry that you compel me to draw this pistol," added Somers; "yet
+nothing but the duty I owe to myself and my country would permit me to
+use it upon those who have treated me so kindly."
+
+"I will be responsible for him," said Allan Garland--the real one; for
+there could be no doubt that he was what he claimed.
+
+"You shall not go near him, father! He will kill you!" cried Sue,
+terrified, as her father attempted to push her aside, and advance upon
+the armed young man.
+
+"Come! brother Allan," said the soldier: "we can best end this scene by
+leaving the house."
+
+As they approached the door, a hand was placed on the handle outside; but
+the old man had taken the precaution to fasten it, in order to insure the
+safety of his prisoner. A heavy knock succeeded.
+
+"Who is that?" gasped Sue, afraid that any newcomer would only complicate
+the difficulties of the moment, and that the bold youth would be
+compelled to use his pistol.
+
+"Perhaps it is Owen," replied the old man, a little calmer than before.
+
+"I hope it is."
+
+The words sent a shudder through the frame of Somers, as he again thought
+of Owen Raynes, cold and dead in his oozy grave in the swamp.
+
+"Open the door," said a voice from without.
+
+Allan Garland drew the bolt, and threw the door wide open.
+
+"Why, Allan, my dear fellow!" exclaimed a young man who stood at the
+outside of the door in his shirt sleeves, as he grasped both of the rebel
+soldier's hands, and proceeded to make a most extravagant demonstration
+of rejoicing. "I am glad to see you!"
+
+"Owen, my dear boy!" replied Allan Garland, as he returned with equal
+warmth the salutation of the newcomer.
+
+"Where did you come from, Allan? I had given you up for lost?"
+
+"I escaped from the Yankees the next day after I was taken, and have been
+beating about the woods ever since."
+
+Somers was thrown all aback by this arrival, which was certainly the most
+remarkable one that had taken place during the day. He couldn't help
+feeling very much like the hero of a sensational novel; and realized the
+very original idea that truth is stranger than fiction. He could not
+exactly account for the presence of Owen Raynes, whom he had
+satisfactorily buried in the swamp, and whose clothes he had the honor to
+wear at that moment. He did not believe in things supernatural, and it
+never occurred to him that the form before him might be the ghost of
+Owen.
+
+"I am glad you have come just as you did, Owen," said Mr. Raynes.
+
+"So am I; otherwise I might not have met Allan. But who is this?" he
+added, glancing at Somers.
+
+"Your most obedient servant," replied Somers, trying to pass him in the
+narrow entry.
+
+"Stop, young man!" shouted the old man. "Don't let him go, Owen!"
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"His name is Allan Garland, of Union, Alabama; and he is a private in the
+Fourth Alabama," replied Allan with a smile, as Owen placed himself
+between Somers and the door.
+
+"What!"
+
+Mr. Raynes, being the oldest man present, was entitled to the position of
+spokesman; and he made a very prolix statement of all the events which
+had transpired since he first saw the pretended Allan Garland.
+
+Owen Raynes was a very good-natured young man, and the recital of the
+affair amused him exceedingly. He did not fly into a passion, being a
+very amiable and reasonable rebel; and seemed to regard the whole thing
+as a stupendous joke.
+
+"Then your name is Allan Garland, is it?" demanded he, with a broad laugh
+still playing on his lips.
+
+"That is my name at present," replied Somers.
+
+"But have you no other name?"
+
+"None worth mentioning."
+
+"Good! To what regiment do you belong?"
+
+"To the Fourth Alabama, Colonel Jones; but I have already told your
+respected father all the facts relating to myself, and some relating to
+you."
+
+"Say, is this a joke, a sell?" demanded Owen.
+
+"I suppose that would be a very proper interpretation to put upon it."
+
+"You seem to be a good fellow, and deal in four-syllable words."
+
+"Now, as you seem to have the best of the joke, I hope you will not
+detain me any longer. I have a pass in my pocket to prove that I am all
+right; and, as I am in a great hurry, I must move on."
+
+"Not till you explain the joke. Eh? What's this? Where did you get this
+coat?" said Owen, glancing at the garment which Somers wore.
+
+"This is the key to the joke."
+
+"The key to it! I am of the opinion that this is my coat," replied Owen,
+as he felt of the garment, and turned up the lapel.
+
+"May I be allowed to inquire where you left your coat?" asked Somers, who
+was quite curious to know how Owen Raynes happened to be alive just at
+that moment.
+
+"Certainly you may; but first let me ask where you found it."
+
+"Over by the picket-line beyond the hill," replied Somers.
+
+"Just so. A young fellow in a Mississippi regiment, encamped next to
+ours, borrowed it of me last night, when he was detailed for picket-duty.
+The poor fellow had no coat, and picket-duty is rather steep at night
+when a man has no clothes. He is a good fellow, in poor health; and I
+lent him mine."
+
+"The nights are cool, but the days are hot," added Somers. "He took it
+off, and left it on the edge of the woods, where I found it. I didn't
+know that it belonged to anybody. I found some papers and a diary in the
+pocket----"
+
+"Did I leave my papers in the pocket? Well, that was stupid," interrupted
+Owen.
+
+"I read the papers with a great deal of interest. Seeing frequent
+allusions in them to Allan Garland, I took the liberty to appropriate the
+name myself; for the owner of it seemed to be a very good fellow."
+
+"Thank you!" said Allan; "but, as you seem to have no further use for it,
+I see no objection to your giving your own name."
+
+"On the contrary, there are some very strong objections, and I must
+trouble you for the use of your name an hour or two longer."
+
+"Oh, very well! I am satisfied," replied Allan.
+
+"So am I."
+
+"But I am not," interposed Mr. Raynes. "I think the fellow is an
+impostor, if nothing worse."
+
+"Anything you please; but my time is out, and I must report for duty,"
+replied Somers boldly, as he took off the borrowed coat, and restored it
+to the owner. "I am very much obliged to you for the use of this garment.
+When we meet again, I trust we shall understand each other better."
+
+Owen Raynes was an easy-going young man; familiar with the practical
+jokes of the army, enjoying them with the most keen relish when no one's
+feelings were hurt, and no damage was done to person or property. He was
+not, therefore, disposed to put a serious construction on what seemed to
+him to be one of these farces; but his father took an entirely different
+view of the affair. He wanted to argue the question, and show that it
+could not be a joke; but Somers was too impatient to listen to any
+eloquence of this description.
+
+Sue, who had now actually found the young man who had been indicated as
+her "manifest destiny," was in no hurry to part with him; and when the
+father proposed that Owen and Allan should accompany the impostor, as he
+insisted upon calling him, to the brigade headquarters, where his pass
+was dated, she decidedly objected to the proposition. The earnestness of
+Mr. Raynes, however, at last vanquished her and the young man; and they
+started to escort our young lieutenant to the place indicated.
+
+Now, Somers, being a modest man, as we have always held him up to our
+readers, and being averse to all the pomp and parade of martial glory in
+its application to himself, was strongly averse to an escort. He
+preferred to go alone, tell his own story, and fight his own battles, if
+battles there were to be fought. Owen and Allan were unutterably
+affectionate. They received him into their small circle of fellowship,
+and stuck to him like a brother. They were both good fellows, splendid
+fellows; and, under ordinary circumstances, Somers would have been
+delighted to cultivate their friendship. As it was, he ungratefully
+resolved to give them the slip at the first convenient opportunity.
+
+Unhappily for him, no opportunity occurred, for his zealous friends would
+not permit him to go a single rod from them; and Somers had about made up
+his mind to trust the matter to the judgment of Major Platner, who had
+shown a remarkable discrimination during the former interview, when the
+trio came to a line of sentinels guarding a brigade camp.
+
+"What regiment do you belong to?" demanded the guard.
+
+"Fourth Alabama," replied Owen.
+
+"You can't pass this line, then."
+
+"But I have a pass," interposed Somers.
+
+"Show your pass."
+
+Somers showed the important document, which the sentinel, after a patient
+study, succeeded in deciphering.
+
+"Your pass is right--pass on; but you can't go through," he added to Owen
+and Allan.
+
+Owen explained.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE REBEL DIVISION GENERAL
+
+
+The sentinel listened very patiently to the explanation of Owen Raynes;
+but, as he proceeded, the face of the soldier relaxed till his muscles
+had contracted into a broad grin. The sergeant of the guard was then sent
+for, and the explanation repeated. At its conclusion, both the sentinel
+and the sergeant seemed to be disposed to laugh in the faces of the twin
+friends, so keenly were the former alive to the ludicrous.
+
+"That's a very pretty story, my men! You, without the pass, are going to
+see that everything is right about the man that has the pass; in other
+words, the devils are going to see that the angels don't do anything
+wicked," said the sergeant, laughing at the awkward position of Owen and
+Allan, and perhaps quite as much at the sharpness of his own
+illustration.
+
+"We are entirely satisfied in regard to this young man," said Owen; "but
+we have come in order to satisfy another person, who believes that he is
+an impostor. We promised to take him to Major Platner."
+
+"You can't enter these lines without a pass," replied the sergeant
+firmly. "This man can go through; for he has a pass," he added to Somers.
+
+"As I am all right, and in a hurry, I will proceed to the brigade
+headquarters," said Somers. "Now, good-by, my friends; I am very glad to
+have met you, and much obliged to you for the trouble you have taken to
+come so far with me."
+
+"You take it coolly," laughed Owen.
+
+"Perhaps, if you desire to go to the brigade headquarters, the sergeant
+will let you pass, if I will vouch for you," continued Somers with great
+good humor.
+
+"We are not very particular."
+
+"What do you say, sergeant?"
+
+"My orders are to permit no stragglers from other camps to pass these
+lines, and I shall obey my orders to the letter," replied the official,
+who, for some reason or other, seemed to be prejudiced against Somers's
+friends.
+
+"Stragglers!" exclaimed the sensitive Allan. "I think we have gone far
+enough."
+
+"I think you have," added the sergeant; "and, if you don't leave at once,
+it will be my duty to arrest you."
+
+"Whew!" exclaimed Owen. "That would be carrying the joke altogether too
+far. I think my _pater_ ought to be satisfied with what we have done."
+
+"Move on," said the sergeant.
+
+They did move on; and Somers, attended by the officer of the guard,
+walked towards headquarters.
+
+"Those are the coolest fellows that ever came near my lines," said the
+sergeant. "Men without a pass looking out for one who has a pass!"
+
+"Well, they are good fellows; but I played a joke upon them, which makes
+them a little sour towards me," replied the scout. "I am even with them
+now."
+
+"What was the joke?" demanded the sergeant, who was filled with interest
+at the mention of the word.
+
+Somers gave him a modified account of the affair at the house of Mr.
+Raynes; which he embellished a little for the occasion, to allay any
+suspicion which might arise in the mind of the auditor. But the officer
+of the guard had no suspicion. Why should he have any? for Somers, armed
+with a pass signed by the officer of the day, was walking as directly as
+he could towards the headquarters. The sergeant of the guard left him
+when they reached the guard tent; and Somers proceeded to report in due
+form to the major, whom he found smoking his cigar under a tree as
+complacently as though there was not a traitor or a spy in the land.
+
+"Well, young man! you have returned promptly at the time specified," said
+the major, as Somers very deferentially touched his cap to this magnate
+of the rebel army.
+
+"Yes, sir; I have endeavored to discharge my duty faithfully," replied
+Somers.
+
+"Did you find the regiment?"
+
+"No, sir; I lost my way; and finding I should not have time to go to the
+place where it is, without overstaying my time, I hastened back, knowing
+that the service upon which you wished to employ me was very important
+indeed."
+
+"You did right, young man. Where is your coat?"
+
+"It was one I picked up just after I had passed the lines, and a soldier
+down below claimed it. I gave it up when he convinced me it was his
+property."
+
+"You are very honest as well as patriotic."
+
+Somers bowed, but made no reply to the compliment; which, however, was
+fully appreciated.
+
+"You seem to be a young man of good address, and you can render your
+country a great service, but it will be at the peril of your life," said
+the major with impressive formality.
+
+"I am willing to serve my country, even with my life."
+
+"I do not doubt it. I was impressed by your manner, and I have
+recommended you to the general for the service he has in view. I hope you
+will do credit to the selection I have made; for the most important duty
+which a commander has to perform is to select proper persons for the
+execution of special missions."
+
+"I will endeavor to serve my country to the best of my ability; and I am
+satisfied that I can go all over the Yankee camps without difficulty."
+
+"Very well! You have confidence in yourself; and that is the first
+requisite of success. If you discharge this duty with fidelity and skill,
+you may be sure of being made a sergeant the moment you return."
+
+"Thank you, Major Platner. I am very grateful to you, sir, for the
+opportunity you thus afford me to distinguish myself."
+
+"You will find me a good friend, if you are faithful and intelligent."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"Now you shall go with me to General M----'s headquarters, and he will
+give you your final instructions."
+
+Major Platner led the way; and Somers reverently followed a pace or two
+behind him, flattering the officer in every action as well as word. They
+reached the division headquarters, and our hero was ushered into the
+presence of the general. He was a large, red-faced man, and had evidently
+taken all the whiskey he could carry, at his dinner, from which he had
+just returned.
+
+"What have you got there, Platner?" demanded the general, in a tone so
+rough, that Somers was reminded of the ogre in Jack the Giant-killer.
+
+"The young man of whom I spoke to you this forenoon. He is a person of
+remarkable address, courage and skill; and is just the man you need."
+
+"All right; adieu, major!" added the general, bowing to the other.
+
+Major Platner took the hint, and took himself off, leaving Somers
+standing alone and somewhat abashed in the presence of the great man.
+
+"Young man!" said, or rather roared, the rebel general, as he raised his
+eyes from the ground, and fixed them with a half-drunken leer upon our
+hero.
+
+"Sir!"
+
+"How much whiskey can you drink without going by the board?"
+
+Somers did not know, had never tried the experiment, and was utterly
+opposed to all such practices. But he desired to conciliate the tipsy
+general; and, if he had not been fearful of being put to the test, he
+would have signified his belief that he could carry off half a dozen
+glasses. As it was, he did not dare to belie his principles.
+
+"Not any, sir! I never drink whiskey," he replied, with the utmost
+deference in his tones.
+
+"Hey?" gasped General M----, darting a sudden glance at the young man.
+
+"I never drank a glass of whiskey in my life, sir," added Somers.
+
+The general jumped off his camp-stool with a sudden jerk, and stared at
+our lieutenant in silence for an instant.
+
+"Give me your hand," said he.
+
+Somers extended his hand.
+
+"Yes! you are flesh and blood. You are the first man I ever saw that
+never drank a glass of whiskey. You drink brandy, don't you?"
+
+"No, sir! I never drank a glass of liquor or wine of any kind in my
+life."
+
+"Give me your hand," said the general again.
+
+"Flesh and blood! You are the first man I ever saw that never drank a
+glass of liquor or wine of any kind. 'Tis a bad practice," he added with
+an oath.
+
+"I think so, sir," replied Somers with due deference.
+
+"Young man!"
+
+"Sir."
+
+"The greatest enemy--hic--that the Confederate army has to contend
+against is whiskey. Yes, sir! whiskey. If the Confederate States
+of--hic--of America ever win their independence, it will be when the
+whiskey's all gone."
+
+"I am very glad to hear officers of your high rank condemning the
+practice," said Somers, alive to the joke of the general's proceedings,
+but prudently looking as serious as though it had been a solemn tragedy
+instead of an awful farce.
+
+"Yes, sir! I'm opposed with all my might to the practice. Yes, sir!
+Whiskey is the greatest enemy I have on the face of the footstool, young
+man."
+
+Somers believed him.
+
+"Always be temperate, young man. You are in the sunshine of--hic--of
+life. Never drink whiskey. It will ruin your body and soul. Don't touch
+it, young man," added he, as he sank back on the camp-stool, whose center
+of gravity was nearly destroyed by the shock, and closed his eyes, as if
+overcome by the potency of his great enemy, which was just then beginning
+to have its full effect, and which produced a tendency to sleep.
+
+"I will endeavor to profit by your good advice, sir," said Somers.
+
+"That's right; do so," added the general, as he jerked up his head to
+banish the drowsy god, who was struggling for the possession of his
+senses. "That will do, young man. You may go now."
+
+The general, in his drunken stupor, had certainly forgotten the business
+for which Major Platner had brought him to the division headquarters; and
+Somers began to fear that he should have no errand that day.
+
+"I beg your pardon, general; but Major Platner was kind enough to say
+that you had some service for me to perform."
+
+"Eh?" demanded he, tossing up his head again.
+
+Somers repeated the remark more explicitly than before.
+
+"Exactly so; I remember. Do you know what I was thinking about just then,
+young man?" said the general, spasmodically leaping to his feet again, as
+though the thought was full of inspiration.
+
+"No, sir; a man in my humble position could hardly measure the thoughts
+of a great man in your situation."
+
+"I'll tell you; I was thinking about issuing a division general order on
+the subject of temperance. What do you think of it?"
+
+"It would be an excellent idea," replied Somers.
+
+"Young man!"
+
+"Sir."
+
+"I believe you said--hic----"
+
+Somers did not say anything of the sort; but he waited patiently for the
+rebel general to recover the idea which he appeared to have lost.
+
+"I believe you said you never drank any whiskey?"
+
+"I never did, sir."
+
+"Then you never was drunk?"
+
+"Never, sir."
+
+"Young man!"
+
+"Sir."
+
+"Are you a--hic----"
+
+Somers was not a "hic;" but he was an impatient young man, and very
+anxious to be instructed in regard to his difficult and dangerous
+mission.
+
+"Are you a minister of the gospel?" demanded the general, after a mighty
+effort.
+
+"No, sir; I am not."
+
+"I'm sorry for--hic--for that; for I wanted to appoint you a division
+chaplain, to preach against whiskey to the general officers. Some of them
+are--hic--drunken fellows, and no more fit for a command than the old
+topers in the streets of Richmond."
+
+"I am sorry I am not competent to fill the office; but I think, if you
+should lecture them yourself, it would have a better effect."
+
+"My words are--hic--powerless. They laugh when I talk to them about the
+error of their ways," added he with a string of oaths, which seemed to
+exhibit a further necessity for a chaplain on the division staff.
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir; but I am afraid your interest in the moral
+welfare of your officers----"
+
+"That is it, young man!" interrupted the drunken general, catching at his
+idea with remarkable promptness. "My interest in the moral welfare of
+my--hic--of my officers! You are a trump, young man [big oath]. You are a
+major now?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"Only a captain?"
+
+"No, sir; nothing but a private."
+
+"Then you shall be a captain. I haven't heard any such--hic--sentiments
+as you expressed used in this division before. You ought to be a--hic--a
+brigadier-general."
+
+"Thank you, sir. You are very kind. I came to you for instructions in
+regard to my mission over to the enemy."
+
+"Bless me! yes; so you did. Well, I have not written them yet."
+
+"I only want a pass from you, general, with such verbal instructions as
+you may please to give me."
+
+"So you do; the fact of it is, my interest in the moral welfare of my men
+had driven the matter out of my mind."
+
+The general called an orderly; and Somers was sent off to the adjutant
+for the pass, which was given to him under the name he had assumed. When
+he returned, the general was sound asleep on his camp-stool, rolling
+about like a ship in a gale, with a prospect of soon landing at full
+length on _terra firma_. Somers would gladly have received some military
+information from the general, who was in a condition to tell all he knew;
+which, however, could not have been much, under the circumstances. He
+concluded that it would be best for him not to awaken the tipsy moralist;
+and, after waiting a short time on the spot to avoid suspicion, he joined
+Major Platner, who was smoking his cigar under a tree near the
+headquarters.
+
+"Well, young man, did you obtain your instructions?"
+
+"Yes; all I require."
+
+"Perhaps we ought to have seen the general before dinner," added the
+major, using the remark as a "feeler" to induce his companion to inform
+him what had transpired during the interview.
+
+"Perhaps it would have been more agreeable to the general. However, he
+seemed to be in a very talkative mood."
+
+"He commonly is after dinner."
+
+"He is a very jovial, good fellow."
+
+"Very."
+
+"But he appears to feel a deep interest in the moral welfare of those
+under his command. He expressed himself as very averse to habits of
+intemperance."
+
+"Humph!" coughed the major.
+
+"He said that whiskey was the great enemy the army has to contend
+against, and intends to issue a general order directed at the vice of
+intemperance."
+
+"Did he?"
+
+"He did; but I ought to add, that he took me to be a major in the
+service; a mistake which was very natural, since I wore no coat."
+
+"Very natural--after dinner," replied Major Platner suggestively.
+
+"I told him I never drank any strong drink; and he kindly advised me
+never to do so."
+
+"The general is a brave man, and I hope he will be able to overcome all
+his enemies."
+
+The major permitted the conversation to go by default, and Somers
+respectfully dropped a pace or two behind him. They reached the brigade
+headquarters, and then repaired to the guard tent, from which the scout
+took his departure upon his arduous and difficult mission, with the best
+wishes of the rebel officers.
+
+With his pass he had no difficulty in going through any line, and made
+his way down to the woods on the left of the open fields. He began to
+feel easier when he had passed the field-works, and experienced a
+sensation of exultation as he thought of the reception which awaited him
+at headquarters as well as in the regiment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE SHARPSHOOTER IN THE WOODS
+
+
+Somers found the picket guard nearer the rebel line than he had
+anticipated; but the exhibition of his pass, which had been prepared with
+special reference to this purpose, prevented any long detention, though a
+sergeant had to be called who was scholar enough to read the mysterious
+document.
+
+"I reckon you haven't got the best place to go through," said the
+sergeant, after he had examined the pass, and satisfied himself of its
+correctness.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"There's a whole squad of Yankees a good piece in there," he replied,
+pointing in the direction of the Federal lines. "They've been there all
+day watching for something."
+
+"What do they want?"
+
+"There was a man run through the line this forenoon from their side, and
+I reckon they are trying to find him."
+
+"Was he a Yank?" asked Somers, desirous of obtaining their idea of the
+fugitive.
+
+"Dunno what he was. We didn't see him till he got a good piece behind us.
+We were chasing the Yanks who run away when they saw us."
+
+This was satisfactory to our scout; for the sergeant appeared to have no
+knowledge that would be dangerous to him, and none of the graybacks
+recognized the pants he wore. He advanced cautiously, as though he was
+afraid of stumbling upon the squad of Yankees described by the sergeant,
+till he could no longer be seen by the pickets. The last obstacle seemed
+to be overcome; and he hastened to the place where he had concealed his
+uniform, which he wished to put on before he approached the pickets on
+the other side. It was now nearly dark, and he had no time to spare; for,
+if he approached his own men in the darkness, he would be in danger of
+being shot before they discovered who he was, though he had full
+confidence in the discretion of Hapgood.
+
+Without difficulty, he found the place where he had concealed his
+clothes; and, after assuring himself that none of the rebel pickets were
+in sight, he hastily put them on. To prevent any unpleasant suspicions,
+he took the precaution to hide the gray pants he had worn, in the long
+grass of the swamp, so that they need not attract the attention of any
+stroller who might pass in that direction. Though we have frequently held
+our hero up as a model of modesty, we are compelled to acknowledge that
+he felt exceedingly well satisfied with himself on the present occasion.
+He felt that he had done what, in the homely vocabulary of the boys of
+Pinchbrook, might well be called "a big thing."
+
+He had fully and successfully accomplished the arduous purposes of his
+mission. He had examined the positions, and counted the forces of the
+rebels. He had received very valuable information from Mr. Raynes, and
+from others whom he had encountered in his walk through the enemy's
+lines. He was satisfied that he should receive a warm welcome from those
+who had sent him upon the perilous tour. He had earned the first bar to
+his shoulder-straps, and was proud of his achievement.
+
+The work had been done, and he was within a short distance of the Union
+lines--within a short distance of the devoted Hapgood, who was patiently
+but anxiously waiting to give him a soldier's reception. Above all, he
+was safe; and he trembled when he thought of the perils through which he
+had passed, of the consequences which must have followed the discovery of
+his real character. As he thanked God for the boon of life after the
+battle was over, so now he thanked Him for the signal success which had
+crowned his labors in the good cause. The last article of his raiment was
+put on and adjusted; he rose from the ground to walk towards the Union
+lines.
+
+"I say, Yank, you look better'n you did 'fore yer changed your clothes,"
+said a voice, which struck his ear with startling distinctness.
+
+Somers looked in the direction from which the voice came, and discovered
+a villainous-looking countenance, that had just risen from the tall
+swamp-grass, within a couple of rods of the spot where he stood. The man
+was unmistakably a rebel--one of the most savage and implacable of rebels
+at that; such a character as we read of in connection with slave-hunts in
+Mississippi, or "free fights" in Arkansas. He wore a long, tangled beard;
+and his hair had probably never known the use of a comb. The grayback
+looked as cool and impudent as though he was perfectly assured of his
+prey, and intended to torture his victim with his tongue, as he would
+with his knife or his rifle if occasion required.
+
+"I say, Yank, you look better'n yer did 'fore yer changed your colors,"
+repeated the rebel, as he received no reply to his first salutation.
+
+Somers looked at him again; indeed, he had hardly taken his eyes off the
+savage-looking fellow, who would have made a very good representative of
+Orson in the fairy story. He held a rifle in his hand, the muzzle of
+which could easily be brought to bear upon his victim. Our lieutenant at
+once understood the humor of the fellow; and, having recovered his
+self-possession in the momentary pause, he determined not to be behind
+his foe either in word or in deed.
+
+"I say, reb, when did you shave last?" demanded Somers, with something as
+near akin to a laugh as he could manufacture for the occasion.
+
+"'Fore you was born, I reckon, Yank," replied the rebel; "and I sha'n't
+shave ag'in till after you're dead. But I reckon I sha'n't hev ter wait
+long nuther."
+
+"I suppose you don't know what a comb is for, do you?" continued Somers,
+who was, however, thinking of some method by which he might get out of
+this scrape.
+
+"I reckon I've heerd about such things; but Joe Bagbone ain't a woman,
+and don't waste his time no such way. I say, stranger, you've got about
+three minutes more to live."
+
+"How long?"
+
+"Three minutes, stranger, I've sat here by them clothes, like a dog at a
+'possum's nest, all the arternoon. Now I've treed the critter, and I'm
+gwine to shoot him."
+
+"Is that so?"
+
+"That's so, stranger."
+
+"Do you usually shoot any man you happen to meet in the woods?"
+
+"Well, I don't reckon we do, every man; but some on 'em we does. I
+calkilate you got on Tom Myers's clothes now, and yer shot the man 'fore
+you took the rags."
+
+"I didn't shoot him."
+
+"No matter for that, stranger; he was shot by a Yank, and you've got to
+settle the account."
+
+Somers began to be of the same opinion himself. The grayback had
+evidently found the clothes, and suspected the purpose for which they
+were concealed. It was possible he had even more definite information
+than this; for he seemed to be prepared for precisely what had taken
+place.
+
+"My friend----"
+
+"I'm not your friend, stranger. You kin say anything you like, if yer
+don't insult me; Joe Bagbone don't take an insult from any live man."
+
+"Well, Joe Bagbone," continued Somers, who was disposed to parley with
+the fellow to gain time, if nothing else, "if you shoot me, you will make
+the worst mistake you ever made in your life; and I can prove it to you
+in less than five minutes."
+
+"No, yer can't, stranger. Don't waste yer time no such way. If yer want
+ter say yer prayers, blaze away lively, 'cause three minutes aren't long
+for a man to repent of all his sins."
+
+"I have a pass from General M----, which permits me to go in safety
+through these lines," persisted Somers. "The sergeant above just examined
+it, and passed me through."
+
+"Don't keer nothing about yer pass. I respects Jeff Davis just as much as
+the best man in Mississip'. If yer had a pass from him, you mought as
+well not have it as have it. Tom Myers was killed, and somebody's gwine
+up for him."
+
+"But I have important business on the other side."
+
+"I knows that, stranger," replied the imperturbable Joe Bagbone. "It
+don't make no difference."
+
+"I am sent over by General M----. I belong to the Fourth Alabama."
+
+"Shet up! Don't tell no lies, 'cause yer hain't got no time ter repent on
+'em."
+
+"Then, if I understand it, you mean to murder one of your own men in cold
+blood."
+
+"Nothin' of the sort; only gwine to shoot a Yank."
+
+Somers looked into that hard, relentless eye; but there was not the
+slightest indication of any change of purpose. He felt that he stood in
+the presence of his executioner. All the errors of his past life crowded
+upon him, and the grave seemed to yawn before him.
+
+"Call the sergeant above, and he will satisfy you that I am all right,"
+said he, making one more effort to move the villain from his wicked
+purpose.
+
+"Don't want the sergeant. Yer time's out, stranger."
+
+"Let me call him, then."
+
+"If yer do, I'll fire. Say yer prayers now, if yer mean ter; but I reckon
+the prayers of a Yank ain't of much account," replied Joe with a sneer.
+
+Somers stood within a few feet of a large tree. Joe had several times
+raised his rifle to his shoulder; but, when he magnanimously offered his
+victim the last moment of grace, he dropped it again; and our lieutenant,
+taking advantage of this interval, darted behind the tree. Joe raised his
+piece quicker than a flash; but he did not fire, for the reason that he
+could not secure a perfect aim, and because he was sure of a better
+opportunity. Our lieutenant, who had carefully preserved his revolver
+during the various changes he had made in his dress, now took it from his
+pocket, and prepared to contest the field like a man.
+
+The grayback, chagrined at this movement on the part of his victim, whom
+he had evidently intended to intimidate by his coolness and his ferocious
+words, rose from his seat in the long grass, and moved towards the tree
+behind which Somers had taken refuge. Probably he was not aware that the
+Yankee was armed; for he adopted none of the precautions which such a
+knowledge would have imposed upon any reasonable man.
+
+"Come out from that tree, stranger, or you shall die like a hog, with a
+knife; not like a man, with a rifle-ball."
+
+"I intend to die by neither," said Somers resolutely, as he discharged
+his pistol in the direction from which the voice of the grayback came;
+for he dared not take aim, lest the bullet of the ruffian should pierce
+his skull.
+
+He might as well have fired into the air, so far as any injury to his
+enemy was concerned; but the report had the effect to assure the rebel
+that he was armed, and thus put an end to his farther advance in that
+direction. Somers listened with intense anxiety to discover the next
+movement of his wily persecutor. He had only checked, not defeated him;
+and an exciting game was commenced, which promised to terminate only in
+the death of one of the belligerents. Somers hoped that the discharge of
+his pistol would bring the sergeant down to his relief; but then to be
+discovered in Federal uniform was about equivalent to being shot by his
+relentless foe, burning to revenge the death of Tom Myers.
+
+The report of pistols and muskets was so common an occurrence on the
+picket-lines as to occasion nothing more than a momentary inquiry. No one
+came for his relief, or his ruin, as the case might be; and he was left
+to play out the exciting game by himself. The grayback, with a wholesome
+regard for the pistol, had retired beyond the reach of its ball, while he
+was still a long way within rifle-range of his doomed enemy. Somers dared
+not look out from the tree to obtain even a single glance at the foe; for
+he knew how accurate is the aim of some of these Southern woodsmen. He
+had nothing to guide him but the rustling of the dried branches beneath
+his tread, or the occasional snapping of a twig under his feet.
+
+Joe Bagbone, after retreating beyond pistol-shot from the tree, had
+commenced describing a circle which would bring him into a position that
+commanded a view of his concealed victim. It must be confessed that Joe's
+tactics were singularly deficient in range; for nothing but a surprise
+could make them successful. While he was moving a hundred rods to secure
+his position, Somers could defeat his purpose by taking a single step. As
+soon as he determined in what direction his persecutor was going, he
+changed his position; and Joe discovered the folly of his strategy, and
+sat down on a stump to await a demonstration on the part of his victim.
+
+The game promised to be prolonged to a most unreasonable length; and
+Somers, now in a measure secure of his life, was impatient to join his
+anxious companions, with whom he had parted in the forenoon. He was
+satisfied that Joe would never abandon the chase, and the slightest
+indiscretion on his own part would result in instant death. It was a
+fearful position, and one which was calculated to wear terribly upon his
+nerves. He was anxious to bring the contest to a conclusion; and, while
+he was debating in his own mind the chances of escaping by a sudden dash
+in the direction of the Union lines, a happy thought in the way of
+strategy occurred to him.
+
+He had determined as nearly as he could the situation of his bull-dog
+opponent, and thought that, if he could draw his fire, he might get out
+of range of his rifle before it could be reloaded. Placing his cap on the
+barrel of his pistol, he cautiously moved it over, just as it would have
+appeared to the rebel if his head had been inside of it, and projected it
+a little beyond the tree. He withdrew it suddenly two or three times to
+increase the delusion in the mind of his enemy. He could not see the
+effect of the stratagem; but he was hopeful of a satisfactory result. He
+continued to repeat the operation with the cap, till he was confident Joe
+was not to be fooled in this way. He was probably one of the
+sharpshooters, and had too often fired at empty caps to be caught in this
+manner when success depended upon the single charge of his rifle.
+
+Somers did not despair, but slipped off his coat; and, rolling it up so
+as to form the semblance of a head, he placed the cap upon the top of the
+bundle, and cautiously exposed the "dummy" on the opposite side of the
+tree. The crack of Joe's rifle instantly followed this exhibition, and
+Somers felt the blow of the ball when it struck the cap. The critical
+moment had come; and, without the loss of a second, our lieutenant darted
+towards the Union lines. This movement was followed by a shrill yell from
+the Mississippian, which might have been a howl of disappointment at his
+failure; or it might have been intended to startle, and thus delay the
+fugitive.
+
+Somers had listened to that battle yell too many times to be moved by it,
+especially when uttered by a single voice; and, with all the speed of
+which his limbs were capable, he fled to the arms of his friends. Joe was
+not content to give up the battle; and, dropping his rifle, he drew his
+long knife, and gave chase. They made a long run of it; and it was only
+ended when Tom heard the demand of his faithful sergeant--
+
+"Who goes there?"
+
+"Friend," gasped Somers, utterly exhausted by his exertions.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers? God be praised!" replied Hapgood, instantly
+recognizing his voice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+RETURN TO THE CAMP
+
+
+The moment Somers was recognized, Hapgood and his party rushed forward,
+rightly judging, from the rapidity of his motions, that he was pursued.
+The sharp eye of the veteran sergeant was the first to perceive the
+ferocious Mississippian, who, undaunted by the appearance of the Union
+soldiers, continued the pursuit as long as there was even a gleam of hope
+that he could overtake his intended victim. He was only a few paces
+behind the lieutenant when the latter was discovered.
+
+Hapgood raised his musket and fired, just as the implacable pursuer
+abandoned the chase, and turned his steps back to the rebel line. He
+staggered for a few paces more, and fell just as a dozen other muskets
+were leveled at him. He appeared to have been hit in the leg; for he did
+not fall flat upon the ground, as he would if he had been struck in a
+vital part, but sank down to a sitting posture.
+
+The Union men rushed up to him, and found that the supposition was
+correct; the ball had passed through the fleshy part of his thigh,
+disabling, but not dangerously wounding him. The ruffian--we do not call
+him so because he was a rebel, but he was naturally and by education just
+what the term indicates--was as savage and implacable as before.
+
+"Better leave me where I am, Yanks," said he; "'case, if I get well, I
+shall be the death of some of you. You kin shoot me through the head if
+you like."
+
+"Don't consarn yourself about us, reb," replied Hapgood. "We'll take good
+care that you don't hurt yourself, or any one else, while you are in our
+hands."
+
+"Mebbe you will, Yanks; but, just as sure as you was born, I'll hev the
+heart's blood of that younker as fotched Tom Myers down."
+
+"Who's Tom Myers?" demanded the veteran.
+
+"The man that you Yanks killed this forenoon."
+
+"Whose heart's blood do you want?"
+
+"That younker with the badge on his shoulder; the un I chased in."
+
+"He didn't kill Tom Myers, or any other man."
+
+"Show me the man, then," growled the rebel, now beginning to feel the
+pain of his wound.
+
+"I'm your man. I brought Tom Myers down," replied Hapgood, anxious to
+remove any cause of peril from his _protégé_.
+
+"Did yer?"
+
+"Sartin I did; saw him drop when I fired."
+
+"Then, stranger, yer kin make up yer mind to die like a hog within ten
+days. I tell yer, Yank, there ain't bolts and bars enough in Yankee land
+to keep me away from yer. You kin shoot me if yer like now, and that's
+all the way yer kin save yerself."
+
+"Well, reb, you are great at blowing; but I've seen a good many jest sich
+fellers as you be. I've fit with 'em, and fit agin' 'em; and I tell you,
+your uncle can take keer of just as many of you as can stand up between
+here and sundown. Put that in your hopper, reb; and the sooner you dry
+up, the sooner you'll come to your milk. We'll take keer on you like a
+Christian, though you ain't nothin' but a heathen. Here, boys, make a
+stretcher, and kerry him along. Take that jack-knife out of his hand
+fust, and keep one eye on him all the time."
+
+Having thus delivered himself, Sergeant Hapgood hastened to the spot
+where Somers had seated himself on the ground to recover his wind and
+rest his weary limbs. The terrible excitement of the last hour seemed to
+fatigue him more than the previous labors of the whole day; and he was
+hardly in condition to march to the division headquarters, where he was
+to report the success of his mission.
+
+"Oh, Tom--I mean Lieutenant Somers--I'm glad to see you!" exclaimed the
+veteran as he grasped both the hands of the young soldier.
+
+"Thank you, uncle; I'm just as glad to see you as you can be to see me,"
+replied Somers.
+
+"You're all tuckered out, Somers."
+
+"I had to run for some distance, with the odds against me; but I shall
+get rested in a little while."
+
+The sergeant began to ask questions; and, as soon as he had recovered his
+breath, Somers gave him a brief sketch of his adventures, dwelling mainly
+on the last and most thrilling event of the day.
+
+"I can hardly believe that I am alive and well after all that has
+happened," said he in conclusion. "That was the most bloodthirsty villain
+I ever encountered in the whole course of my life."
+
+"If you say shoot him, leftenant, it shall be done quicker'n you can say
+Jack Roberson," added Hapgood, indignant at the conduct of the savage
+rebel.
+
+"Of course, I don't say anything of that kind. It would be murder to do
+anything of that sort while he is our prisoner."
+
+"He desarves hanging more'n Kyd the pirate did; and if I had my way, he'd
+swing afore sunrise to-morrow. He's a consarned heathen!"
+
+"Never mind him; only keep him safe, and where he can't do any mischief;
+for he is wicked enough to kill the man that feeds him."
+
+"I'm only sorry I didn't hit him a little higher up, where I hit the
+other feller this mornin'," added the veteran. "How do you feel now,
+leftenant?"
+
+"I am improving. I shall be ready to go with you in a few moments more."
+
+After sitting on the stump half an hour longer, he was in condition to
+march; but the danger was past, the tremendous excitement had subsided,
+and his muscles, which had been strained up to the highest tension,
+seemed to become soft and flaccid. The party passed the Union pickets,
+and reached the headquarters of the division general, who had just
+finished his supper.
+
+"Somers! by all that is great and good!" exclaimed the general, who
+probably never expected to see the scout again.
+
+"I have come to make my report, sir," replied the lieutenant.
+
+"You are all used up. You look as though you could hardly stand up."
+
+"I am very tired, sir," added Somers languidly.
+
+"Sit down, then. Here, Peter," he added, addressing his servant, "bring
+in a glass of whiskey for Lieutenant Somers."
+
+"Thank you, general; I never drink anything stronger than coffee."
+
+"But a little whiskey would do you good in your present condition; you
+need it."
+
+"I thank you, general; I never drink whiskey, as I had occasion to say to
+a rebel general of division to-day."
+
+"Eh? 'Pon my conscience! Were you asked to drink by a rebel major-general?"
+demanded the officer, greatly surprised at the statement of the scout
+
+"Not exactly, sir. About the first question he asked me was, how much
+whiskey I could drink without going by the board."
+
+"Who was he? Bring coffee, Peter."
+
+"General M----."
+
+"So I supposed. He is a jovial, good-hearted fellow; but I'll wager my
+shoulder-straps he was tight at the time," laughed the general.
+
+"Very tight, sir."
+
+"Well, he is a fighting man, drunk or sober; but I should rather lead
+than follow him in action. Where have you been all day?"
+
+"Shall I tell my story in full, or only give you the information I
+obtained?"
+
+"Tell the story, so that I can determine whether the information is good
+for anything or not."
+
+Somers drank the tin cup of coffee which the general's servant brought to
+him, and then proceeded to relate the incidents of the day in the rebel
+camp. His distinguished auditor, who, in the Army of the Potomac, had
+well earned the title of "the bravest of the brave," listened with eager
+interest to the details of the lieutenant's story, asking occasional
+questions upon points which were not only calculated to elicit particular
+information, but to display the skill and intelligence of the scout. The
+interview was prolonged for several hours; and at its close a
+staff-officer was despatched to the corps commander; for what purpose, of
+course, Somers had no intimation.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, you have earned your promotion; and if you don't have
+it, it will be because I have not influence enough to procure it. You
+have done well."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"Your friend, Senator Guilford, shall hear of you within forty-eight
+hours."
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir; but, grateful as I am to Senator Guilford for
+the interest he has expressed in me, I don't care to be patronized by any
+man in civil life."
+
+"Whew!" laughed the general. "I wish some of our colonels and brigadiers
+would take a lesson from you. Never mind, Lieutenant Somers; you will
+deserve all you ever get."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"Go to your quarters now. Here," he added, dashing off a note at his
+table, in which he desired that Somers might be excused from duty for the
+next two days, to enable him to recover from the fatigues of his arduous
+expedition.
+
+I need not inform my readers how soundly our hero slept in his shelter
+tent that night, nor how his slumbers were disturbed by a horrid rebel
+with a bowie-knife, and a horrid feminine monstrosity which seemed to be
+called Sue by her attendant demons; but he slept as a tired boy only can
+sleep.
+
+The next morning the brigade was relieved from picket duty, and the
+regiment returned to its camp. Captain de Banyan had neither seen nor
+heard from his young friend since his departure on the forenoon of the
+preceding day. Of course he was overjoyed to see him, as well as
+intensely curious to know where he had been, what he had done, and
+whether he had been promoted. Somers told his adventures to the mess,
+omitting such military information as was "contraband" in the camp.
+
+"Somers, my dear fellow, you are a man after my own heart!" exclaimed the
+captain, grasping his hand, and wringing it with all the enthusiasm of
+his fervid nature. "Somers, my boy, did you ever hear of a man having his
+double?"
+
+"I have read of such things in old legends."
+
+"I believe in it, Somers. You are my double! You are my second self! You
+are as near like me as one pea is like another! Just before the battle of
+Magenta----"
+
+At this interesting point in the conversation, the officers of the mess
+burst into an involuntary roar of laughter, ending up Magenta with a long
+dash.
+
+"Not exactly like you, Captain de Banyan," added Somers.
+
+"You can't tell half so big a story," said Lieutenant Munroe.
+
+"Gentlemen," interposed the captain with dignity, "you interrupted me at
+the wrong moment. I was about to prove to you wherein Lieutenant Somers
+was my double; and with your permission, I will proceed with my argument.
+Just before the battle of Magenta, I was sent out on a scout; and I went
+at the particular request of the Emperor Napoleon, who--permit me to add,
+in the presence of a company which seems to be inimical to my
+antecedents, if not to me--had unlimited confidence in my ability to
+perform this delicate duty with skill and success. Well, gentlemen, I
+passed our pickets; of course I mean the French pickets; for I was, as
+you are all aware, a colonel in the French infantry at that time."
+
+"We are all aware of it," laughed Munroe--"over the left."
+
+"That is a slang phrase, and repulsive to the ears of a cultivated
+gentleman. As I was saying, gentlemen, I passed our pickets, and soon
+encountered a Russian general of division."
+
+"Russian?"
+
+"Austrian, I should have said; and I thank you, Somers, for the
+correction. I suppose he was making the grand rounds with the officer of
+the day. Be that as it may, he considered it his duty to stop me; and I
+was under the disagreeable necessity of putting a bullet through his
+head. He was a count, and the father of a large family; however, I could
+not help it, though I was sorry to make orphans of his children. I
+stepped into his uniform without the delay of a moment."
+
+"Where was the sergeant of the guard, the officer of the day, and the
+sentinels?" demanded Lieutenant Munroe.
+
+"I beg you will not interrupt me, Lieutenant Munroe, with these ill-timed
+remarks, which are merely intended to throw discredit on my character for
+truth and veracity. I remarked, that I stepped into the uniform of the
+defunct major-general. To abbreviate the narrative somewhat, I walked
+through the Austrian lines for three hours, till I had discovered the
+position of the infantry, cavalry and artillery. But the most singular
+part of the affair was, that, when the long roll was beat once during
+that eventful night, I placed myself at the head of the departed
+general's division, and maneuvered it for an hour on the field, intending
+to place it in such a position that the French could capture it.
+Unfortunately, no attack was made by the Emperor's forces, and I could
+not carry out my plan."
+
+"Can you talk the Austrian lingo, captain?" asked Munroe.
+
+"Of course I can," replied De Banyan with dignity.
+
+"Here, Schrugenheimer, let us have a specimen of the lingo!" said the
+tormentor, appealing to a German officer. "Ask him some questions in your
+own language."
+
+"Gentlemen, if my word is not sufficient, I shall not condescend to
+demonstrate what I have said. You will notice the similarity between the
+adventures of Lieutenant Somers and my own."
+
+The officers of the mess all laughed heartily at the conclusion of the
+comparison; for the story, like a fairy tale, was pleasant to hear, but
+hard to believe. But weightier matters than these were at hand for these
+gallant men; and before night the gay laugh had ceased, and they had
+nerved themselves for the stern duties of the hour. Cannon had been
+thundering to the right of them for three days; and in the afternoon they
+had seen the smoke of burning bridges, which assured them that their
+communications with White House had been cut off. At night, orders were
+given to have the men ready to move, and to prepare for a hurried march.
+Extra stores were destroyed, clothing thrown away, and tents were cut in
+pieces, or otherwise rendered useless to the next occupants of the
+ground. Everything to be transported was reduced to the smallest possible
+compass.
+
+These orders were ominous of disaster; but on the following morning a
+general order was read, to the effect that all was right. The troubled
+expression on the countenances of officers and men indicated their
+incredulity; for the destruction in which they had been engaged belied
+the words of the order. The brigade was then moved back three miles from
+the camp. A portion of the regiment was posted near a house, in which was
+a bedridden old woman, attended by her daughter. The rebels were
+advancing by the Williamsburg road, and soon had a battery of artillery
+in position to shell the vicinity of the house.
+
+It was an intensely hot day. Captain de Banyan sat asleep on the fence
+near the house. He was very much exhausted by the labors of the two
+preceding nights on picket, and at the destruction of the stores; and
+while Somers was watching the progress of the battle on the right, where
+a sharp fight was in progress, a shell screamed between them, and struck
+the house about a foot from the ground.
+
+"That reminds me of the night before Magenta," said the veteran, opening
+his eyes, without even a start. "A hundred-pounder shell knocked my hat
+off, and then passed through the two open windows at each gable of a
+house, without even breaking a pane of glass."
+
+"A narrow escape for you and for the house," replied Somers with a
+languid smile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+GLENDALE AND MALVERN HILLS
+
+
+Captain de Banyan was as cool and indifferent to danger as though he had
+been shot-proof. Cannon-balls and shell flew through the air; but the
+veteran paid no attention to them--except that once in a while they
+reminded him of Magenta, or some other of the numerous battle-fields
+where he had displayed his valor. There was little fighting for our
+regiment at this point, though there was a sharp action on the right of
+the position.
+
+The rebels attacked our forces with tremendous vigor at Savage's Station.
+It was believed by their generals that the Union army was utterly
+demoralized; that it was retreating in disorder towards the James River;
+and that a vigorous onslaught would result in its capture. The first
+intimation of the blunder was received at Savage's Station, where the
+Confederates were decisively repulsed; yet the hope was not abandoned of
+ending the war by the destruction of the Army of the Potomac. The hosts
+of the rebellion were poured down the roads, where they could intercept
+the loyal forces; and the full extent of their blunder was realized only
+at Malvern Hills.
+
+At noon our regiment marched through White Oak Swamp, and late in the
+evening bivouacked in a field near the road. During all this time the
+road was filled with troops, and with trains of army wagons on their way
+to the new "base." Very early the next morning, the march was resumed. It
+was an exceedingly hot day, and the troops suffered severely from the
+heat. Somers was nearly exhausted when the regiment halted at noon near a
+church, which the surgeons had already occupied as a hospital. But
+nothing could disturb the equanimity of Captain de Banyan. If an
+opportunity offered, he rested, and went to sleep amid the screaming
+shells as readily as though he had been in his chamber in the "Fifth
+Avenue." It was not quite so hot as it was at Magenta, nor the march
+quite so severe as before Solferino, nor the shot quite so thick as at
+Chapultepec. He never grumbled himself, and never permitted any one else
+to do so. If Somers ventured to suggest that events were rather hard upon
+him, he wondered what he would have done if he had been at Magenta,
+Solferino, Balaclava, or Chapultepec.
+
+Somers was disposed to make the best of the circumstances; and though
+hungry, tired and nearly melted, he sustained himself with unfaltering
+courage amid the trials of that eventful march. All day long, the tide of
+army wagons and cattle flowed down the road; and the brigade remained
+near the church at Glendale, waiting for them to pass. At dark the order
+was given to move forward, while the roar of cannon and musketry
+reverberated on the evening air, assuring the weary veterans that the
+baptism of blood was at hand for them, as it had been before for their
+comrades in arms.
+
+The regiment followed a narrow road through the woods, which was thronged
+with the _débris_ of the conflict, hurled back by the fierce assaults of
+the rebels. The cowardly skulkers and the noncombatants of the engaged
+regiments were here with their tale of disaster and ruin; and, judging
+from the mournful stories they told, the once proud Army of the Potomac
+had been utterly routed and discomfited. Cowards with one bar, cowards
+with two bars, cowards with no bar, and cowards with the eagle on their
+shoulders, repeated the wail of disaster; and the timid would have shrunk
+from the fiery ordeal before them, if the intrepid officers and the mass
+of the rank and file had not been above the influence of the poltroons'
+trembling tones and quaking limbs.
+
+"Forward, my brave boys! I've been waiting all my lifetime for such a
+scene as this!" shouted Captain de Banyan, as he flourished his sword
+after the most approved style.
+
+"Don't mind the cowards!" said Somers, as the stragglers poured out their
+howls of terror.
+
+There was little need of these stirring exhortations; for the men were as
+eager for the fight as the officers, and laughed with genuine glee at the
+pitiful aspect of the runaways. They advanced in line of battle to the
+support of the hard-pressed troops in front of them, and poured a
+withering fire into the enemy. With that fiendish yell which the Southern
+soldiers invariably use in the hour of battle, they rushed forward with a
+fury which was madness, and into which no fear of death entered.
+
+"They are coming!" shouted Somers, as the legions of rebellion surged
+down upon the line, yelling like so many demons, as though they expected
+the veterans to be vanquished by mere noise. "Stand steady, my men!"
+
+"That reminds me of the Russian advance at Magenta," said Captain de
+Banyan, who happened to pass near the spot where Somers stood.
+
+"The Austrians, you mean," replied Somers, trying to keep as cool and
+unmoved as his companion.
+
+"Excuse me; I meant the Austrians," replied the captain. "The fact
+is----Forward, my brave fellows!" roared he as the order came down the
+line.
+
+The enemy had been temporarily checked, and the brigade advanced to
+pursue the advantage gained. They poured another terrible volley into the
+rebels; when a regiment of the latter, infuriated by whiskey and the
+fierce goadings of their officers, rushed down with irresistible force
+upon a portion of the Union line, and succeeded in making a partial break
+in our regiment. The only remaining line officer in one of the companies
+where the rupture occurred was wounded at this critical moment, and borne
+under the feet of the excited combatants.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers, take command of that company!" shouted the colonel,
+as he dashed towards the imperiled portion of the line.
+
+Somers made haste to obey the order when the line was giving way before
+the impetuous charge. He felt that the safety of the whole army depended
+upon himself at that momentous instant, and that on the salvation of the
+army rested the destiny of his country. What was the life of a single
+man, of a hundred thousand even, compared with the fearful issue of that
+moment? It was the feeling of the young soldier, and he was ready to lay
+down his life for the flag which symbolized the true glory of the nation.
+
+"Rally round me!" he cried, as he discharged his revolver into the breast
+of a brave captain who was urging his company forward with the most
+unflinching resolution. "Down with them!" he shouted, as he waved his
+sword above his head.
+
+"Hurrah!" roared a brave sergeant near him, and the cry was taken up by
+the gallant fellows who had been pressed back by sheer force of numbers.
+
+"Forward!" shouted Somers, as he dashed down a bayonet, which would have
+transfixed him on the spot if he had not been on the alert.
+
+The men rallied, and stood boldly up to the work before them. They were
+inspired by the example of the young lieutenant; and the rebel regiment
+slowly and doggedly retired, leaving many of their number dead or wounded
+on the field, and a small number as prisoners in the hands of Somers's
+new command.
+
+After alternate repulses and successes, the rebels were signally defeated
+and driven back. It was a sharp and decisive struggle; but again had the
+army been saved from destruction, and the long line of army wagons still
+pursued its way in safety towards the waters of the James.
+
+Again had the rebel general's brilliant calculation failed. His troops,
+maddened by the fires of the whiskey demon, had done all that men or
+fiends could do; but the trained valor of the Army of the Potomac had
+again saved the country. Onward it marched towards the goal of safety
+under the sheltering wings of the gunboat fleet in the river.
+
+All night long the men marched, with frequent intervals of rest, as the
+movements of the army trains required them. There was no sleep, even
+after that hard-fought battle; no real rest from the exciting and wearing
+events of the day. There was little or no food to be had; and the
+fainting soldiers, though still ready to fight and march in their
+weakness, longed for the repose of a few hours in camp. But not yet was
+the boon to be granted. On the following morning, our regiment arrived at
+Malvern Hills, where they were again formed in line of battle, in
+readiness to receive the menacing hosts of the rebels.
+
+"We are all right now, Somers," said Captain de Banyan while they were
+waiting for the onset.
+
+"Not quite yet, captain. Don't you see those signal-flags on the houses
+yonder?"
+
+"They mean something, of course. I did not intend to say there will be no
+fighting; only, that we have a good position, and all the rebels in the
+Confederacy can't start us now."
+
+"Those flags indicate that the rebels are moving."
+
+"Let them come; the sooner the better, and the sooner it will be over.
+Hurrah!" exclaimed the captain, as the inspiring strains of the band in
+the rear saluted his ears.
+
+Cheer after cheer passed along the extended lines as the notes of the
+"Star-spangled Banner" thrilled the hearts of the weary, fainting
+soldiers. The bands had not been heard during the operations in front of
+Richmond; and their music, as Sergeant Hapgood expressed it, "sounded
+like home."
+
+"That does me good, Somers," continued the captain. "There's nothing like
+music for the nerves. It wakes men up, and makes them forget all their
+troubles. Forward, the light brigade!" he added, flourishing his sword in
+the air. "I suppose you know that poem, Somers?"
+
+"Of course; I know it by heart; read it in school the last day I ever
+went."
+
+"Did you, indeed?"
+
+"Nothing very singular about that, is there?"
+
+"Rather a remarkable coincidence, I should say," replied the captain with
+easy indifference, as he twirled his sword on the ground.
+
+"I don't see it."
+
+"You read the poem at school, and I was in that charge."
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes, my boy. I was a captain in that brigade. But what called the
+circumstance to my mind was the music which struck up just now. I had a
+bugler in my company who played 'Hail, Columbia' during the whole of the
+fight."
+
+"'Hail, Columbia?'" demanded Somers.
+
+"Certainly; the fellow had a fancy for that tune; and though it wasn't
+exactly a national thing to the British army, he always played it when he
+got a chance. Well, sir, I think that bugler did more than any other man
+in the charge of the light brigade. He never lost a note, and it fired
+the men up to the pitch of frenzy."
+
+"He was a brave fellow," replied Somers languidly; for he was too
+thoroughly worn out to appreciate the stories of his veteran companion.
+
+"He was the most determined man I ever met in my life. He was killed in
+the charge, poor fellow; but he had filled his bugle so full of wind,
+that the music did not cease till full five minutes after he was
+stone-dead."
+
+"Come, come, captain! that's a little too bad," said Somers seriously.
+
+"Too bad? Well, I should not be willing to take oath that the time was
+just five minutes after the bugler died. I did not take out my watch, and
+time it; and, of course, I can only give you my judgment as to the
+precise number of minutes."
+
+"You are worse than Baron Munchausen, who told a story something like
+that; only his was the more reasonable of the two."
+
+"Somers, my boy! you have got a villainously bad habit of discrediting
+the statements of a brother-officer and a gentleman," said Captain de
+Banyan seriously.
+
+"And you have got a bad habit of telling the most abominable stories that
+ever proceeded from the mouth of any man."
+
+"We'll drop the subject, Somers; for such discussions lead to unpleasant
+results. Do you see that rebel battery?" added the captain, pointing to a
+road a mile off, where the enemy had taken position to shell the Union
+line.
+
+"I see it."
+
+The rebel battery opened fire, which was vigorously answered by the other
+side. The scene began to increase in interest as the cannonade extended
+along the whole line; and, through the entire day, there raged the most
+furious artillery conflict of the war. The rebel masses were hurled time
+after time against the Union line; but it maintained its position like a
+wall of iron, while thousands of the enemy were recklessly sacrificed in
+the useless assault. General M---- had probably drunk more than his usual
+quantity of whiskey; and, though he was as brave as a lion, hundreds of
+his men paid the penalty with their lives of his rashness and
+indiscretion.
+
+Night came again upon a victorious field, while hundreds of weeping
+mothers in the neighboring city sighed for the sons who would return no
+more to their arms; and while mothers wept, fathers groaned and sisters
+moaned, the grand army of the Confederacy had been beaten, and the proud
+rulers of an infatuated people were trembling for their own safety in the
+presence of the ruin with which defeat threatened them.
+
+After the battle commenced the movement of the Army of the Potomac down
+the river to Harrison's Landing. The rain fell in torrents, and the
+single road was crowded with troops and wagons. Though the exhausted
+soldiers slept, even while the guns of the enemy roared in front of them,
+and during the brief halts which the confusion in the road caused, there
+was no real repose. The excitement of the battle and the retreat, and the
+undefinable sense of insecurity which their situation engendered,
+banished rest. Tired Nature asserted her claims, and the men yielded to
+them only when endurance had reached its utmost limit.
+
+At Harrison's Landing, the work of intrenching the position was
+immediately commenced; and it was some days before the army were entirely
+assured that defeat and capture were not still possible. The failure of
+the campaign was not without its effect upon the troops. They felt, that,
+instead of marching under their victorious banners into the enemy's
+capital, they had been driven from their position. It was not disaster,
+but it was failure. Though the soldiers were still in good condition, and
+as ready as ever to breast the storm of battle, they were in a measure
+dispirited by the misfortune.
+
+General McClellan and General Lee had each failed to accomplish his
+purpose. It was the intention of the latter to send Stonewall Jackson
+into the rear of the Union army, cut it off from its base of supplies,
+and then attack in front and on the left. The plan was defeated by
+General McClellan's change of base, which was forced upon him by the
+cutting-off of his communications with the Pamunkey River. The Union
+generals, who were first attacked on the right, supposed they were
+confronted by Jackson, who had come down to flank them in this direction;
+while Lee intended that he should attack farther down the Peninsula. Each
+commanding general, to some extent, mistook the purpose of the other.
+Whatever errors were made by the grand players in this mighty game, about
+one thing there can be no mistake--that the courage and fortitude of the
+rank and file saved the Army of the Potomac, and pushed aside the mighty
+disaster in which its ruin would have involved the country. All honor to
+the unnamed heroes who fought those great battles, and endured hardships
+which shall thrill the souls of Americans for ages to come!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+LIEUTENANT SOMERS HAS A NEW SENSATION
+
+
+The experience of the soldiers at Harrison's Landing, for a month
+following their arrival, was not of the most agreeable nature; and
+consisted of too large a proportion of exercise with pick and shovel to
+be very pleasant to those who had not been accustomed to handling these
+useful implements. Intrenchments and batteries were constructed; and the
+position was as carefully fortified as the genius of the distinguished
+engineer in command could suggest, and as thoroughly as though he
+expected to spent the balance of the term of his natural life at this
+place.
+
+The army was soon in a condition to defy the operations of the enemy, who
+were wise enough not to molest it. Somers, in common with the rest of the
+command, recovered from the severe trials of the movement from White Oak
+Swamp, and again longed for active operations. About two weeks after the
+cessation of active operations, the official documents which announced
+his promotion to the rank of first lieutenant came down to the army; but
+this was a foregone conclusion. He had won his first bar by his scouting
+services, and his commission was expected for a fortnight before its
+arrival. It did not, therefore, cause him any surprise; and was so small
+an elevation, that his comrades hardly congratulated him upon its
+reception.
+
+A fortnight later, there came a startling sensation to thrill him with
+satisfaction and delight. An orderly from the division headquarters
+summoned him to attend upon the general. The message startled him; for it
+indicated some momentous event to him, and he hastily prepared to obey
+the order.
+
+"You are in luck again," said De Banyan, grasping his hand.
+
+"Perhaps not," replied Somers, bewildered at the suggestion.
+
+"I know you are, my dear boy. I was sent for just four weeks after the
+battle of Solferino, and made a brigadier-general," persisted the
+captain.
+
+"Ah! then you are General de Banyan?"
+
+"No, no; I dropped the title when I ceased to hold the office."
+
+"That was modest, general."
+
+"Captain, if you please."
+
+"You are entitled by courtesy to the use of the title, and you shall not
+be robbed of any of your honors."
+
+"As a particular favor, Somers, never call me general. I do not wish to
+rise above my actual rank. I have never mentioned the little circumstance
+of my promotion before. Your good fortune was so similar to my own, that
+I was surprised into doing so."
+
+"What do you mean by my good fortune, captain?"
+
+"Why, you are promoted again. I will bet my year's pay you have had
+another lift."
+
+"Nonsense! I have just been promoted."
+
+"Bah! what was that to a man of your merit, with a Senator to speak at
+court for you? A petty first lieutenancy is nothing for a brilliant
+fellow like you."
+
+"I am not half so brilliant a fellow as you declare, and I think that a
+commission as first lieutenant is a big thing for a young man like me.
+I'm sure I never had an idea of being an officer at all; and, when I was
+made a sergeant, I didn't think I deserved it."
+
+"What do you suppose a major-general can want with you? You have heard
+from Senator Guilford once before, and I am satisfied you will hear from
+him again. Now, Somers, what do you suppose the general wants of you?"
+
+"I don't know; I think it very likely he wants a man of my size to go up
+the river, or on the other side, scouting; nothing more than that, I am
+satisfied. But I must obey the order," added Somers, who had been making
+his preparations during the conversation.
+
+"Well, good-by, my boy; and I shall have to stand one side for you after
+this, and salute you as major."
+
+"As what?"
+
+"Major."
+
+"How absurd you are, captain! You always talk like a sensible fellow;
+that is, when you mean what you say."
+
+"A hard hit; and very likely the first thing you do, when you get to be a
+major, will be to arrest me for lying."
+
+"Your hit is the hardest, my dear captain. We have seen some hard times
+together; and you may be sure that whatever I am, I shall never forget
+you."
+
+"That's hearty, my boy! Your hand once more," replied De Banyan,
+extending his own. "After the battle of Solferino----"
+
+"Really, captain, you must excuse me this time, or the general will put
+me under arrest for my want of promptness, instead of sending me on
+special duty."
+
+"Well, good luck to you, Somers," said the captain as the lieutenant
+started for the division headquarters.
+
+As he passed out of sight, an expression of sadness settled down upon
+Captain de Banyan's face. He looked disappointed and uncomfortable, and
+it is quite probable that he envied the good fortune of his young
+companion in arms. If Somers had been brave, and attentive to his duty,
+he had been no less so himself; and he could not help feeling that the
+destruction of those railroad cars had made the young man's fortune; that
+his rapid advancement was a mere stroke of good luck.
+
+Lieutenant Somers, wondering what could possibly be wanted of him,
+hastened to the headquarters of the division. He had no faith whatever in
+the prognostications of Captain de Banyan, and was too modest to believe
+that he had done anything to merit another promotion so soon. Recalling
+the incidents of his career since his eventful expedition within the
+rebel lines, there was nothing in his conduct to merit even the notice of
+his superiors, unless it was what others called his skill and courage in
+rallying the broken company at Glendale. He had been warmly praised for
+this act; but he deemed it of little importance, for the memory of
+Williamsburg cast into the shade anything that had occurred to him since
+that bloody day.
+
+He was ushered into the presence of the general, who gave him the kindly
+welcome which he always bestowed upon those of humble rank. Now, Somers
+cherished an intense admiration for this distinguished officer, and
+esteemed it a greater honor to stand in his presence than in that of the
+most powerful sovereign of the earth.
+
+"Lieutenant Somers?" said the general, extending his hand; a piece of
+condescension which made our officer blush, and appear as awkward as a
+country school-boy.
+
+"Yes, sir; thank you, sir," stammered Somers, as he took the proffered
+hand.
+
+"You behaved well at Glendale, Somers," said the general bluntly.
+
+"I endeavored to do my duty, general."
+
+"You did well on that scout, too; and I'm going to send you out on
+another, if you have any fancy for such work."
+
+"I will do the best I can."
+
+"But, my brave fellow, I wish you to be very careful; for we can't afford
+to lose officers like you."
+
+"I am always careful, general," said Somers with a smile.
+
+"Can you handle a boat?"
+
+"Yes, sir; I was brought up among boats."
+
+"You will go over the river. There is rebel cavalry over there, and very
+likely a considerable force of infantry. I am inclined to think they are
+building batteries in the woods, to close up the navigation of the river,
+or perhaps to shell us out of our position. In a word, I am instructed to
+solve the problem, and I have selected you to do the work. What do you
+say?"
+
+"I am all ready, sir, to undertake that, or any service to which I may be
+ordered."
+
+"That's the right spirit, Captain Somers; and I thank you for the
+promptness with which you enter into my plans. I am satisfied, captain,
+that you will discharge the duty to my entire satisfaction."
+
+"Thank you, sir."
+
+"Well, Captain Somers, you shall take what force you think necessary. As
+it will not be prudent for you to go over before dark, you may make up
+your plan, and I will listen to the details before you go. How many boats
+shall you want, captain?"
+
+"Only one, sir," replied Somers promptly; though he was wondering with
+all his might how the general happened to make so many blunders in regard
+to his military title, for he had called him captain four or five times.
+
+"Only one? You will need force enough to protect you, captain," replied
+the general.
+
+Captain again!
+
+"I do not intend to fight the whole rebel army, if it is over there. I do
+not propose to take more than half a dozen men with me."
+
+"I think that is a sensible view of the enterprise; for the more men you
+take, the greater your chances of being discovered. Select your own men,
+Captain Somers."
+
+Captain Somers! The general had certainly forgotten that he was only a
+first lieutenant, or else he was amusing himself at his modest
+subordinate's expense.
+
+"I know of several men in our regiment who are just what I want," replied
+Somers, hardly able to speak from embarrassment, on account of the
+general's often-repeated mistake.
+
+"Very well; you shall have the necessary authority to select whom you
+please. You may go now, and arrange your plans."
+
+Somers saluted the general, and was about to retire, when the thought
+occurred to him that he might at least gratify his friend Captain de
+Banyan, and perhaps bring him favorably to the general's notice.
+
+"May I be allowed to select an officer to go with me?" he asked.
+
+"Certainly, if you desire; but you will remember that you are a young
+officer, going out on difficult and dangerous service, and that officers
+will not be so obedient as privates," suggested the general. "Whom do you
+desire to go with you?"
+
+"Captain de Banyan, of our regiment."
+
+"Captain! Why, then he will be your equal in rank, and by priority of
+commission, your superior."
+
+"We shall agree remarkably well, general, though he is my superior in
+rank, without regard to dates," replied Somers, who by this time had come
+to the conclusion that the general meant something by calling him
+captain.
+
+"No; you are both captains," added the general with apparent
+indifference.
+
+"I beg your pardon, general; you have probably forgotten that the
+commission which was forwarded to me only about two weeks ago was that of
+first lieutenant."
+
+"I remember all about it, Captain Somers; but, by the time you reach your
+quarters, there will be another commission there for you. By the way,
+captain, do you remember Senator Guilford?"
+
+"I do, general; I have good reason to remember him; for he takes a deep
+interest in my affairs," replied Somers, whose brown face was red with
+blushes.
+
+"Has a pretty daughter, hasn't he? Fell out of a railroad car and broke
+her arm, didn't she?"
+
+"That was the only time I ever saw her, general," stammered Somers; "and
+probably I shall never see her again."
+
+"Why, you are as cold-blooded as a frog! Why don't you write to the
+damsel, and tell her you are still alive, if you can't think of anything
+else to say?"
+
+"I don't like to curry favor with great folks."
+
+"I like that, captain. But you must attend to your duty now. You may have
+Captain de--what's-his-name--if you like."
+
+"Captain de Banyan, sir. He is a brave and noble fellow."
+
+"Your friend, eh?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Well, I remember him. He is certainly a brave fellow; for I noticed him
+at Glendale."
+
+"At Oak Grove he captured the enemy's sharpshooters, who were lodged in
+the old house."
+
+"I thought you did that."
+
+"No, sir; I was under Captain de Banyan's orders at the time."
+
+"I see; and I will remember that, Captain Somers. By the way, it would be
+well for you to write to Senator Guilford, just to inform him of your
+promotion. He has done good service for you, though I have no hesitation
+in saying your promotion would have been certain without his aid."
+
+"Thank you, general," replied Somers, who fully understood the meaning of
+that significant remark.
+
+We regret that the good conduct of our hero has destroyed the fitness of
+the title which we had chosen for our humble volume; but we will venture
+to say that our sympathizing readers will rejoice with him in his
+advancement.
+
+Captain Somers! The idea seemed to him as big as a mountain, when he
+withdrew from the presence of the general, who evidently experienced a
+deep satisfaction in the result of his recommendation to the authorities,
+and had humorously chosen this method of communicating the welcome news.
+The earth seemed to be as elastic as India-rubber under the feet of the
+new-made captain, as he hastened back to the camp of the regiment.
+
+He could hardly believe his senses; it was so strange that a young man
+like him should attain to this high rank. He wanted to "crow;" and
+perhaps he would have done so, if he had not considered that he must
+maintain the dignity of his new office.
+
+"Captain Somers, I greet you!" exclaimed De Banyan on his return to camp.
+
+"Who told you I was a captain?" laughed Somers.
+
+"This document," replied he, handing him the ponderous official envelope.
+"I congratulate you, my boy; though I'm rather disappointed to find you
+are not a major."
+
+"Nonsense, captain! I would have declined a major's commission."
+
+"Declined it!" gasped De Banyan. "Well, I don't know but you would. You
+are the only officer I ever knew to decline a glass of wine, and I don't
+know but you would decline a major's commission."
+
+"I certainly would. Why, I'm only a boy; and I don't know but I ought to
+decline even a captain's commission. I'm only eighteen years old."
+
+"What of that? There's the Fourth Vermont over there--the colonel of that
+regiment isn't twenty-one yet, and there isn't a better or braver officer
+in the army. If you decline, I'll cross you off from my list of friends.
+Why, at Balaclava, when I was----"
+
+"Balaclava and blarney!" exclaimed Somers impatiently.
+
+"I was only going to say, that I was but seventeen when I was made a
+captain in the British army."
+
+"I have been a brigadier in my own imagination, just as you were a
+captain, when you were seventeen. But never mind that; I am going on a
+scout; have got my orders."
+
+"Ah, my boy! you are going to celebrate the arrival of your commission by
+active duty. I wish the generals would think of me when they want
+something handsome done."
+
+"What do you say to going with me?"
+
+"I would thank my stars for the chance."
+
+"Well, then I have orders for you."
+
+"Somers, my dear fellow, you touch my heart-strings!" cried the captain,
+jumping up, and throwing his arms around Somers in the most extravagant
+manner.
+
+"On one condition," added Captain Somers.
+
+"Any condition you please."
+
+"You are my superior; but----"
+
+"I know all about it. I will go as a volunteer, and you shall command the
+expedition."
+
+"We will work together."
+
+"With all my heart."
+
+Somers then selected six men for the service, with special reference to
+their skill as boatmen, and ordered them to make the necessary
+preparations for duty. As there were still several hours to spare before
+dark, he used a portion of this time in writing a letter to his mother,
+informing her of the remarkable fortune that had attended him; and
+another to Senator Guilford, thanking him for the kind interest he had
+manifested in his welfare, in the postscript of which he wrote the
+history of Captain de Banyan's valuable services, and modestly added that
+any favor conferred on his friend would ever be gratefully remembered by
+the writer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+OVER THE RIVER
+
+
+Captain Somers, as we are hereafter to call him, was proud and happy in
+the distinction which had been bestowed upon him; but he had some doubts
+whether he had fully earned his promotion. He had done as much as any,
+and more than some. Yet it seemed to him just as though nothing short of
+the capture or annihilation of a whole brigade of the enemy's forces
+could entitle him to such a distinguished honor, especially as he was
+only eighteen years of age. He was afraid that Senator Guilford had
+exerted too much influence in his favor; but the general of the division
+had assured him he had won his promotion, and would have received it in
+time, even without the powerful aid of the honorable gentleman at
+Washington.
+
+This thought comforted him; and he only hoped that his friend De Banyan
+would be as highly favored as he had been. The valiant captain, in spite
+of his glaring faults, was a good fellow, a fine officer, and very
+popular with his inferiors as well as his superiors. He had become very
+much attached to Somers, and had proved by many substantial acts that he
+was animated by a warm regard for him. Though he talked a great deal
+about the favor of high officials in securing his promotion, he had never
+hinted a wish that Somers should attempt to influence his powerful friend
+to do anything for him.
+
+Somers said nothing to the captain about the letter he had written. If
+anything was done, he wished to have his friend surprised as he had been.
+But he had only slight hopes that anything would be accomplished by his
+application. Though Captain de Banyan had always behaved well in battle,
+and had always faithfully discharged his duties in the camp and on the
+march, there was something like a mystery hanging about him, which had a
+tendency to prejudice the officers against him. While they admired his
+bravery, and enjoyed his society, there was a certain lack of confidence,
+resulting from a want of knowledge of his antecedents.
+
+De Banyan always evaded any allusion to his former residence or
+occupation. He desired to be regarded as a soldier of fortune, who had
+fought with every nation that had a quarrel with its neighbors. Where he
+was born, where he had lived, or how he obtained his commission, were
+secrets locked up in his own breast. Somers had some doubts in regard to
+him, and was constantly afraid that he should hear more of the captain
+than it would be pleasant to know.
+
+Captain Somers reported his arrangements in due form to the general, and
+they were approved. About nine o'clock in the evening, he, with his
+little party, embarked on the river, and the rowers pulled towards the
+opposite shore. Of course, it was necessary to use the utmost caution;
+for a rebel picket on the opposite bank of the river might suddenly put
+an end to the career of some of the party.
+
+"I think we are making a mistake, Captain Somers," said De Banyan in a
+whisper, when they had gone about half way across the river.
+
+"So do I; but it is not too late to correct the error," replied Somers,
+as he turned the bow of the boat down the river.
+
+"I believe you are my double, Somers; for you know my thoughts before I
+utter them."
+
+"I was just thinking, when you spoke, that we were running into a nest of
+the enemy."
+
+"Just before the battle of the Alma, I went on just such an expedition as
+this; but we went down the river beyond the enemy's lines, and doubled up
+in the rear of them; thus finding out all we wanted to know."
+
+"That is what I propose to do."
+
+"Captain Brickfield and myself landed, and walked sixty-four miles
+between nine o'clock in the evening and four o'clock in the morning,"
+added Captain de Banyan.
+
+"How far?"
+
+"Sixty-four miles."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Somers. "Did you walk all the way?"
+
+"Every step."
+
+"It was tip-top walking, De Banyan--a little more than nine miles an
+hour."
+
+"Do you doubt the story?"
+
+"I don't doubt that it is a story."
+
+"Now, that isn't kind of you, Somers, to be perpetually throwing
+discredit upon everything I say," replied the captain, apparently much
+hurt.
+
+"You mustn't say such things, then. You don't expect any man in his
+senses to believe that you walked over nine miles an hour, and followed
+it for seven hours?"
+
+"I was tougher then than I am now."
+
+"And you can tell a tougher story now than you could then, I'll warrant."
+
+"There it is again!"
+
+"Now, my dear fellow, I'm afraid you will die with an enormous fib in
+your mouth."
+
+"Come, Somers, you are taking a mean advantage of my friendship. You know
+that I like you too well to quarrel with you."
+
+"Silence!" said Somers earnestly. "There is a boat coming out from the
+rebel side of the river."
+
+The water was covered with vessels of every description in the vicinity
+of Harrison's Landing; and the boat had just emerged from this forest of
+masts and smokestacks. It was time to be entirely silent again; for the
+rebels were on the alert in every direction, watching to strike a blow at
+the grand army, or to pick up individual stragglers who might fall in
+their way. The boat which Somers had discovered was approaching from the
+rebel side of the river; and to be seen by the enemy, at this point of
+the proceedings, would be fatal to the expedition.
+
+"Who goes there?" said a man in the rebel boat.
+
+"Friends!" replied Somers.
+
+"Who are ye?"
+
+The tones were so unmistakably Southern, that there could be no question
+in regard to the party to which the boat belonged.
+
+"Officers examining the enemy's lines," replied Somers.
+
+At the same time he ordered his crew to pull, and steered the boat so as
+to run her alongside the other. On the way, he whispered to the men his
+instructions; and, as soon as they were near enough, they leaped on board
+the rebel boat, and captured her astonished crew before they had time to
+make any resistance. No doubt they thought this was very rude treatment
+to receive from the hands of those who professed to be their friends; but
+they had discovered their mistake by this time, and it afforded a
+sufficient explanation of the seeming inconsistency.
+
+The capture of this boat involved the necessity of returning to the
+nearest steamer in the river to dispose of the prisoners. On the way
+back, Somers and De Banyan conversed with the rebels on general topics;
+for the latter refused to say anything which could be of service to their
+enemy. After the captives had been delivered on board the steamer, our
+party decided to take the boat which had been captured, instead of the
+one they had brought from the landing; for there were some peculiarities
+in its construction, which made it a safer conveyance in rebel waters
+than the other, the approach of which would excite suspicion if seen.
+
+Again they pulled down the river, and passed the point from beyond which
+the rebel boat had approached them. The shore was probably lined with
+pickets; and the wisdom of exchanging the boats was now more apparent to
+them than before. Somers steered into a little inlet or bay beyond the
+point, and at the head of it found a creek flowing into the river. It was
+wide and deep at the outlet; and he decided to ascend it.
+
+"How was it, Andy?" said a voice from the shore, after the boat had
+advanced a few rods up the creek.
+
+"All right!" replied Somers at a venture; though he was somewhat startled
+by the question.
+
+"Have the Yankees any picket boats out?" demanded the man on shore.
+
+"Haven't seen any."
+
+"How far up have you been?"
+
+"About two miles," answered Somers, continually coughing to account for
+any change in his voice which might be apparent to his friend on shore.
+
+"The fire-steamer is all ready," added the voice; "and it is about time
+to go to work."
+
+"The fire-steamer!" exclaimed Somers in a low tone.
+
+"They are going to burn the vessels in the river," added De Banyan.
+
+"What shall we do?"
+
+"We must stop their fun at all hazards," replied the valiant captain
+promptly.
+
+"What are you stopping there for, Andy? Why don't you pull up the creek?"
+continued the man on shore.
+
+"My name isn't Andy," said Somers; "and I don't fully understand this
+business."
+
+"Who are you, then?" replied the rebel. "What has become of Andy?"
+
+"He has got another job, and sent me to do this one," answered Somers,
+whose ready wit had adopted a plan to defeat the purpose of the enemy.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Tom Leathers. Andy sent me up to attend to this matter. Where is the
+fire-steamer?"
+
+"About half a mile farther up the creek. But where is Andy?"
+
+"Some general sent for him; and he has gone to Richmond. I reckon the
+iron-clad's coming down soon."
+
+"Can you take care of the steamer?"
+
+"Certainly I can."
+
+"Are you a pilot?"
+
+"Pilot enough for this business."
+
+"I understand it all. Andy was afraid to do this job, and has backed
+out."
+
+"I only know what he said to me," replied Somers innocently.
+
+"Well, pull up the creek, and don't waste any more time in talking about
+it."
+
+"I haven't wasted any time. You have done all the talking yourself,"
+replied Somers, who thought he should not be a consistent Southerner if
+he did not growl.
+
+Somers directed the men to pull again, and the boat advanced up the creek
+till the steamer appeared. She was a small, worn-out old craft, which had
+probably dodged into the creek when the Union fleet came up the river.
+The man who had spoken from the shore reached the place almost as soon as
+the boat. He was dressed in the gray of the Confederate army, and was
+evidently an officer detailed to perform the duty of fitting out the
+fire-ship.
+
+"This is a most remarkable proceeding on the part of the pilot," said the
+officer.
+
+"I can't help it. You needn't growl at me about it. If you don't want me,
+I don't want the job," replied Somers sourly.
+
+"Don't be impudent to me," added the officer.
+
+"And don't you be impudent to me," said Somers. "I'm not one of your
+men."
+
+"Silence! or I shall put you under arrest."
+
+"No, you won't."
+
+"Do you know the channel of the river?"
+
+"Of course I do. What do you suppose Andy sent me here for?" snarled
+Somers.
+
+"Keep a civil tongue in your head, man."
+
+"You had better show me how to do it first. Come, Graves," he added,
+turning to De Banyan, "we are not wanted here, and we will go home
+again."
+
+"Who is that man with you?"
+
+"Graves."
+
+"Where did you get all these men?"
+
+"They came with me to see the fun, and help the thing along."
+
+The officer stepped on board of the steamer, and Somers and De Banyan
+joined him on the deck.
+
+"I think I've seen you somewhere."
+
+"I think very likely; I was there once."
+
+"You are a crusty young cub; but it may be you know your duty."
+
+"Of course I do; and as for being crusty, I treated you like a gentleman
+till you began to snarl at me."
+
+"Well, well, my friend, we will rub out the past and begin again," said
+the officer pleasantly.
+
+"With all my heart, if you say so," replied Somers with equal suavity.
+
+"This is a very important enterprise, and we want to teach the Yankees
+that it will be better for them to stay at home next time they want to
+come down South. What is your name?"
+
+"Tom Leathers. What's yours? Andy told me; but I've forgotten."
+
+"Captain Osborn."
+
+The rebel officer proceeded to give the supposed pilot very full
+instructions in regard to the steamer, which was to be run up the river
+to City Point, set on fire, and then abandoned to float with the current
+through the thickest of the Federal fleet, blowing up gunboats, and
+consuming transports by the hundred. The fire-steamer had been loaded
+with pitch-wood, tar, pitch and turpentine; and Captain Osborn was
+satisfied that the plan, if thoroughly carried out, would cause
+tremendous havoc among the Yankee vessels. He rubbed his hands with
+delight as he contemplated the prospect of driving the "Hessian" fleet
+from the river, and starving the Union army out of its position.
+
+An engineer and two firemen, whom they found on board the steamer, were
+all the crew she had, and all she needed besides the pilot. They had got
+up steam, and the vessel was all ready to move on her errand of
+destruction when the word should be given.
+
+"Now you are all ready," said Captain Osborn when he had completed his
+instructions. "You will hoist the American flag, and pretend you are a
+Yankee, if they attempt to stop you on your way up the river."
+
+"I can do that to a charm," replied Somers. "I am all ready. Where is
+Graves? Hallo, Graves!" he shouted, when he found that his companion had
+left his side to take a look at the other parts of the steamer.
+
+"Here I am, Tom," answered Graves, emerging from the engine-room, where
+he had been talking with the presiding genius of that department.
+
+"Run up the colors."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir!" replied De Banyan.
+
+The colors went up, and other preparations were made for the great
+enterprise.
+
+"Cast off that stern line!" said Somers. "Make fast your painter on the
+port quarter," he added to the man in the boat; and no doubt by this time
+Captain Osborn was fully satisfied that he was perfectly familiar with
+the management of a steamer.
+
+Now, Somers was very well satisfied that he should run the steamer
+aground before he rounded the first point in the river, and he had wisely
+concluded not to undertake so rash an enterprise. Besides, he did not
+come over there to be the skipper of a steamer; he had other and even
+more important duties to perform. He was much more interested in certain
+rebel batteries which were believed to be in process of construction
+farther up the river. But Captain Osborn was an unreasonable man, and
+demanded the execution of his plan. He was determined to see a
+conflagration, and Somers was equally determined to gratify him.
+
+Our pilot discovered the value of his limited nautical experience in
+Pinchbrook Harbor; for it enabled him to convince the rebel officer that
+he was a full-fledged "salt," and was entirely at home on the deck of any
+vessel that could float in the waters of the James. The stern-line and
+the bow-line were cast off; and Somers stood in the little wheel-house,
+ready to ring the bells. Captain Osborn had just stepped on shore,
+intending to mount his horse and ride up the river, where he could see
+the conflagration when it came off.
+
+Just then, there was a tremendous commotion among the firemen and
+engineer; and, a moment later, a broad, bright sheet of flame rose from
+the heap of combustibles in the after-part of the steamer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+CAPTAIN DE BANYAN FINDS AN OLD FRIEND
+
+
+Both Somers and De Banyan flew to the rescue, and made a most
+enthusiastic attempt to check the fire; but the raging element was now
+past control. The flames spread through the combustible material which
+had been stored on the deck; and they were compelled to abandon the
+ill-starred steamer with the utmost precipitation, in order to save their
+own lives.
+
+De Banyan had rolled up an old newspaper, making of it a kind of torch,
+some three feet in length, which he had inserted in a mass of pitch-wood
+shavings, and set the end on fire. It had burned long enough to remove
+suspicion from him; and, when the pilot and crew went on shore, Captain
+Osborn had no idea of the trick of which he had been made the victim. Our
+scouts kept up appearances in the most remarkable manner, and Somers was
+only afraid that his zealous companion would overdo the matter.
+
+"What do you mean by that, Captain Osborn?" demanded Somers, as he shook
+the cinders from his clothes in the presence of the rebel officer. "Did
+you intend to sacrifice our lives?"
+
+"Yes; burn us up before we had time to leave the old hulk!" added De
+Banyan furiously. "I thought we were to light the fire ourselves."
+
+"I didn't do it," replied Captain Osborn.
+
+"You didn't? Who did do it, then?" persisted Somers.
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Well, I don't know; but, in my opinion, you did it yourself."
+
+"You are an idiot! Do you think I would destroy the work of my own
+hands?" added the rebel warmly.
+
+"Well, I supposed you fired the train so as to be sure the thing was done
+right."
+
+"You are a fool, or else you didn't suppose any such thing."
+
+"I didn't know but what you had one of those clock machines, that touch a
+thing off at a certain time. Well, how did it happen, then?"
+
+"I don't know; perhaps from a spark from the fire. No matter how it was
+done now. It is done, and can't be helped. I have lost the satisfaction
+of seeing half the Yankee fleet burnt up. I would rather have given a
+year's pay than have had this accident happen."
+
+"Haven't they got most ready for the Yankee fleet above here?" asked
+Somers as carelessly as he could.
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"They are building batteries up above, to knock the Yankees into pieces,
+aren't they?"
+
+"Perhaps they are."
+
+"Well, Captain Osborn, I don't believe your plan would have succeeded if
+the steamer hadn't caught afire."
+
+"Don't you? Why not?"
+
+"Suppose the Yankees had stopped us on our way up, and come on board the
+steamer. Don't you think they would have known what she was for?"
+
+"Perhaps they would."
+
+"Of course they would. Why didn't you fit out your steamer up the river?"
+
+"We haven't so many steamers that we can afford to burn them up. We took
+this one because she happened to be in the creek, where the Yankees could
+capture her at any time they pleased."
+
+"It wouldn't need a steamer above the fleet; a raft would do just as
+well. I think I shall go up the river, and see what can be done. Well,
+boys," added Somers to the men in the boat, "there will be no fun
+to-night, and you may as well go home."
+
+As this order was in conformity with previous instructions, the men
+pulled down the creek to its mouth, where they could remain concealed
+till their officers returned.
+
+By the light of the burning steamer, Captain Osborn had attentively
+scanned the features of the pilot and his companion, apparently for the
+purpose of determining where he had seen the former. As they had both
+dressed themselves for the occasion, they submitted to his scrutiny
+without fear. When he had finished his survey, he mounted his horse,
+which was fastened to a tree near the creek, and had become very restive
+as the glaring fire scattered burning cinders near him. As the rider had
+no further use for our enterprising operatives, he bestowed no further
+notice upon them, and rode off to report to his commanding officer the
+failure of the hopeful enterprise.
+
+"Well, we have done some good by coming over here," said Captain de
+Banyan as the officer galloped up the road above the creek.
+
+"Hush, captain!" replied Somers. "You forget where you are."
+
+"No, I don't; we are alone."
+
+"Perhaps not; the trees have ears sometimes."
+
+"Well, where are you going now?"
+
+"Up the river. We will take a walk up to the batteries, if there are any
+there."
+
+They proceeded in the direction indicated for about three miles without
+being molested, or even challenged by a sentinel. The Army of the Potomac
+had been on the other side of the river nearly a month, and had ceased to
+be a curiosity to the rebel inhabitants in the vicinity; and like
+sensible people, as they were in this respect if in no other, they
+devoted the hours of darkness to sleep. On the shore opposite the camp,
+they found a battery of artillery. Rude field-works had been constructed
+near the water, on which the guns of the company had been placed. Our
+travelers were too modest to make the acquaintance of the rebels, and
+kept at a respectful distance from them, crawling on the ground near
+enough to ascertain the force of the enemy.
+
+Taking to the fields for greater safety, the scouts went up the river
+several miles farther, without making any discoveries worthy of notice.
+The object of the excursion had been fully accomplished; and they began
+to retrace their steps towards the creek, where the boat was waiting
+their return. When we are well employed, time passes away very rapidly;
+and our adventurers had taken no note of its passage. Before they had
+made a single mile, the bright streaks of day in the east warned them
+that they had remained too long for their own safety.
+
+The prospect of being examined by rebel officers in broad daylight was
+not pleasant; and, increasing their speed, they walked by the shortest
+way towards the creek. When they had passed the battery of artillery,
+they abandoned the fields, through which they could make but slow
+progress, for the road. They had three miles farther to go, and it was
+now nearly sunrise.
+
+"I think we must have lost two or three hours," said Somers as they
+hastened on their way. "I had no idea that it was more than two o'clock
+in the morning when we turned about."
+
+"Nor I," replied De Banyan. "We must have spent two or three hours in
+crawling on the ground about that battery."
+
+"I don't see where the time is all gone."
+
+"It goes fast when we are busy. When I was in the Crimea----"
+
+"Never mind the Crimea now," protested Somers, who was in no mood for his
+companion's fibs.
+
+"Don't be crusty, Somers."
+
+"I did not mean to be crusty; but you know my opinion about those stories
+of the Crimea and the Italian war, and I don't think it is a good plan to
+talk so much over here."
+
+"As you please; it is your turn to speak next."
+
+"I meant no offense."
+
+"I know you didn't, Somers; but you reproved me, and I can only hold my
+peace; for you are the commander of this expedition."
+
+"You know I like you as a brother; but I don't like those silly yarns
+about your impossible achievements. Hark! What's that?"
+
+This last remark was caused by the sound of horses' feet behind them; and
+our travelers looked back with eager interest to ascertain what was
+approaching. It was a body of cavalry, which had just swept round a bend
+of the road, and was now in plain sight of them.
+
+"That won't do," said De Banyan with energy. "We must conceal ourselves."
+
+"I think they have seen us, and we may as well make the best of it. If we
+hide, they will certainly suspect us."
+
+"They have not seen us yet. They are half a mile off," replied the
+captain, as he retired to the field by the side of the road.
+
+Somers followed him, though he did not fully approve the policy of his
+friend. They walked a short distance till they came to a covert of
+bushes, in which they concealed themselves.
+
+"I think we have made a mistake. The dog always bites when you attempt to
+run away from him," said Somers.
+
+"I don't think they saw us," persisted De Banyan. "If they did, we can
+tell as good a story here as we could in the road."
+
+"I always believe in facing the music. I have found that impudence will
+carry a man a great deal farther and a great deal faster than his legs
+can."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Somers. When I was in Italy----"
+
+"Bah! Don't say Italy or Crimea again till we reach the other side of the
+river," interposed Somers, who was too seriously affected by the perils
+of their situation to be willing to listen to any of his companion's
+hallucinations.
+
+"Just as you please, Somers," answered the captain, unmoved by the
+rebuff; "but, when I was doing scout duty before the battle of Magenta, I
+saw the advance of the Austrians coming up behind me. I crawled into a
+haystack, and remained there while the whole army of the Austrians, about
+four hundred thousand men, passed by me."
+
+Somers could not but smile at the infatuation of his friend, who at such
+a perilous moment could indulge in such a vicious practice as that of
+inventing great stories. He did not even ask him how long it took the
+Austrian army to pass the haystack, whether they had haystacks in Italy,
+nor if it was probable that such an army would pass over a single road.
+He waited patiently, or impatiently, for the approach of the rebel
+cavalry, which soon reached the road near the bushes where they were
+hidden.
+
+To his consternation, they came to a dead halt; and he could see the men
+gazing earnestly in the direction they had retired. Then half a dozen of
+the troopers entered the field, and rode directly towards the covert of
+bushes.
+
+"We are caught!" whispered Somers.
+
+"That's so. Just after the battle of Palestro, when I----"
+
+"Hush!"
+
+"Hush it is," replied De Banyan, as coolly as though he had been under
+his shelter tent on the other side of the James.
+
+Taking a knife from his pocket, he began to cut away at a straight bush
+which grew near him, and was thus busily employed when the soldiers
+reached the spot. Somers stretched himself on the ground, and waited the
+issue of the event; deciding to let his companion, who had got him into
+the scrape, extricate him from it. The coolness of the captain, and the
+peculiar manner he assumed, convinced him that he had some resources upon
+which to draw in this trying emergency.
+
+"Hallo, there!" shouted one of the troopers savagely, as though he
+intended to carry consternation in the tones of his voice.
+
+"How are you, old hoss?" inquired De Banyan, as impudently as though he
+had been the lord of the manor.
+
+"What ye doin' in here?" demanded the horseman, as he forced his animal
+into the bushes far enough to obtain a full view of both of the
+fugitives.
+
+"Well, old hoss, if Heaven gin you two eyes, what were they gin to ye
+fur?" replied the captain, still hacking away at the sapling.
+
+"What d'ye run for when you saw us coming?"
+
+"Didn't run."
+
+"Yes, yer did."
+
+"You know best, then."
+
+"What d'ye come in here fur?"
+
+"Don't ye see what I came in here for?" replied De Banyan, as he finished
+cutting off the bush, and proceeded to trim off the branches.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Well, old hoss, I'm the brother of my father's oldest son."
+
+"What's yer name?"
+
+"Hain't got any; had a difficulty with the district attorney in our
+county, and lost it."
+
+"Come out here, and show yerself. The cap'n wants to see yer down to the
+road."
+
+"Just goin' down there. Say, you hain't got a spare hoss in your caravan,
+have you? I'm gettin' amazin' tired."
+
+"Come out, both of you. I can't stay here all day."
+
+"Needn't wait for me; I'm in no hurry," answered the captain, as he
+slowly emerged from the bushes, followed by Somers.
+
+"But I shall wait for yer; and, if yer don't step along lively, I'll let
+yer know how this cheese-knife feels."
+
+"Don't distress yourself to do anything of the sort," said De Banyan; and
+he hobbled along on his new-made cane.
+
+A walk of a few rods brought them to the road, where the commander of the
+company was impatiently awaiting their arrival. He looked daggers at the
+travelers, and evidently intended to annihilate them by the fierceness of
+his visage.
+
+"Give an account of yourself," said he.
+
+"We're no account," replied De Banyan.
+
+"I've seen you before," continued the cavalry commander, gazing intently
+at the captain.
+
+"No; you saw me behind."
+
+"That sounds like you. Why, really, it is Barney Marvel."
+
+"Who?" demanded De Banyan with an expression of humor.
+
+"Barney Marvel! Don't you know your own name? Give us your hand, Barney,"
+added the officer, as he extended his own.
+
+"Well, cap'n, perhaps I'm Barney what's-his-name; but, 'pon my word, I
+don't think I am;" and De Banyan wore a troubled expression, even to the
+eyes of his anxious companion.
+
+"Don't be modest about it, Barney. You left us rather unceremoniously;
+but I hope you'll be able to show that it was all right."
+
+"'Pon my word it was all right, though I haven't the least idea what you
+mean."
+
+"Haven't you, indeed, Barney?" laughed the captain, who, in spite of his
+present happy manner, was evidently as much puzzled as the other party.
+
+"'Pon my word, I haven't."
+
+"Do you mean to say you are not Barney Marvel, formerly a lieutenant in
+the Third Tennessee?"
+
+"Not if I know it."
+
+"I suppose I understood your position, Barney; but I advise you not to
+deny facts."
+
+"I never deny facts, captain; you haven't told me your name yet."
+
+"No need of that. Now, be honest, Barney. Tell us all about it. There
+wasn't an officer in the regiment that didn't mourn you as a brother when
+you left us."
+
+"I'm very much obliged to them," replied De Banyan lightly; but even
+Somers began to have some doubts in regard to his popular friend.
+
+"How are Magenta, Solferino, and the Crimea, now-a-days?" demanded the
+officer.
+
+"Never heard of such places. Don't know much about geography," answered
+the captain.
+
+Somers was confounded when the officer repeated these words, which was
+proof positive that he was the man whom the captain represented him to
+be.
+
+"Sergeant, dismount, and tell me if you find B. M. on that man's right
+arm."
+
+The sergeant obeyed, and, with the assistance of another, bared the
+captain's arm, where they found, plainly marked in India ink, the
+initials B. M.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+THE THIRD TENNESSEE
+
+
+Probably there was no one in either party who was so thoroughly
+bewildered by the incident which had just transpired as Captain Somers.
+The mystery of his companion's antecedents was in a fair way to be
+cleared up, though in a very unsatisfactory manner to those most
+intimately concerned. The conversation, and the verification of the rebel
+officer's statements, showed that De Banyan was not De Banyan; that the
+brave and brilliant Federal officer was not a Federal officer; that, of
+all he had been, only the "brave" and "brilliant" remained.
+
+It was painfully evident that the bold and dashing captain was, or had
+been, a rebel officer. Somers was terribly shocked at the discovery, even
+while it was a satisfaction to have the mystery of his companion's
+previous life explained. For the time, he forgot the perils of his own
+situation in the interest he felt in the affairs of his friend. Perhaps
+De Banyan was a spy, who had been serving in the Union army for the
+purpose of conveying information to the enemy. He had been very glad of
+the opportunity to cross the river; and it seemed probable to our hero
+that he wished to return to his friends. It is true, the efficient
+services of the captain in the Army of the Potomac, his readiness at all
+times to fight the rebels, and especially his shooting down the enemy's
+pickets in the swamp, were not exactly consistent with such a record; but
+perhaps he had done these things to keep up appearances, and thus enable
+him the better to promote the objects of the rebellion.
+
+He was anxious to hear the captain's explanation of these gross charges;
+but, of course, that was utterly impracticable at present. In the
+meantime, there was no room to doubt that the cavalry officer had all the
+truth on his side. He had hinted very strongly that De Banyan was a
+deserter; but he might have deserted for the purpose of performing the
+special duty which had been assigned to him. Officers and soldiers, sent
+out as spies, had often incurred the odium of such a reputation, in order
+to keep their own counsels, and serve their country the more faithfully.
+
+If Captain de Banyan was a deserter in appearance only, he would, of
+course, soon be able to make his fidelity and patriotism apparent to the
+rebel authorities; and being a patriot, in the traitor use of the word,
+he could not do less than denounce his companion as a Federal spy.
+Whatever turn the affair might take, Somers felt that his own chances of
+escape were every moment becoming beautifully less. If De Banyan was a
+faithful rebel, there was proof positive that his companion was a spy; if
+not, he was in the company of a deserter, and would be subjected to all
+manner of suspicion.
+
+De Banyan still held his head up, and did not lose his impudence, even
+after the letters had been found upon his arm. He did not appear to be at
+all confused by the discovery and the triumph of the cavalry officer's
+argument. He punched Somers in the side with his elbow; but the latter
+was unable to divine the significance of this movement.
+
+"Well, Barney, I wish somebody else had caught you instead of me; for it
+is not pleasant to find an old friend under such circumstances."
+
+"If you please, captain, I haven't the pleasure of knowing your name."
+
+"Come, Barney, don't keep up this farce any longer."
+
+"I was about to beg the favor, that you would not call me by that
+offensive name any longer."
+
+"You seem to be changing your colors very rapidly," laughed the officer.
+"When I first saw you, you were a rough-spoken fellow; but now you use
+the language of a polished gentleman. Barney, you and I were good friends
+in the Third Tennessee; and, though I am sorry to meet you under these
+circumstances, we must both make the best of it."
+
+"I tell you, captain, you are entirely mistaken in your man. I never was
+in Tennessee in my life."
+
+"Good! You were always celebrated for monstrous stories; and they are
+fully in keeping with your past history. Well, since you refuse to
+recognize an old friend, of course I shall be excused for any unpleasant
+measures to which I may be compelled to resort."
+
+"Anything you please, captain, so long as you refrain from calling me
+Barney, which in my estimation is a low and vulgar cognomen, that I am
+unwilling to have applied to me."
+
+"Who is the man with you?" demanded the officer in more business-like
+tones.
+
+"His name is Tom Leathers; he's a pilot on the James. We refer you to
+Captain Osborn for evidence of our character. We came here to do a job
+for him."
+
+"All right, then. Captain Osborn lodges at the next house on this road,
+and we will let him speak for the other man. He can't speak for you; for
+I know you better than he does, or any other man who has not served in
+the Third Tennessee. As you were going this way, you can walk along with
+us."
+
+"Thank you for the polite invitation, and this is a handsome escort for a
+man of my humble pretensions."
+
+The captain of the company ordered his men to keep back, and Somers and
+De Banyan walked by the side of his horse, a few yards in advance of the
+platoons. He had evidently adopted this method to draw out his prisoners;
+for as such our officers were compelled to regard themselves.
+
+"Marvel, you used to be a very sensible fellow when you were in the Third
+Tennessee," said the rebel captain. "I am surprised to see you adopting
+such a stupid method to conceal your identity."
+
+"I had good reasons for it," replied De Banyan, casting his eyes behind
+him, as if to assure himself that none of the soldiers were within
+hearing.
+
+"What reasons?" asked the officer curiously.
+
+"I should think a man of your discretion would easily understand the
+reason, without any explanation. If I am to be tried for any offense, I
+don't want to be judged by a whole company of cavalry. You know I always
+took pride in my reputation."
+
+"I used to think so; but, when we missed you one day, we got rid of that
+opinion in the Third Tennessee."
+
+"Then you wronged me; for I have faithfully served my country from that
+day to this."
+
+"I am glad to hear it, and I hope you will be able to prove what you have
+said. How came you here?"
+
+"I came over from the other side of the river last night. You intimated
+that my departure from the Third was not all regular," added the captain.
+
+"In a word, it was understood that you had deserted."
+
+"That was a mistake."
+
+"I am very glad to hear it; but you will remember that your loyalty to
+the Southern Confederacy was not above suspicion when you joined the
+regiment."
+
+De Banyan punched Somers with his elbow at these words, as though he
+wished him to take particular notice of them; but his admiring friend
+needed no such admonition to induce him to give strict attention to the
+statement, for it was the most satisfactory remark he had heard during
+the interview. Captain de Banyan rose twenty-five per cent in his
+estimation at the utterance of those words, however injurious they were
+in the opinion of him who had spoken them. There was hope for the
+captain; and Somers trusted that he would be able fully to exonerate
+himself from the foul charge, when the occasion should permit such an
+exposition.
+
+"My loyalty ought to be considered above suspicion, and those who know me
+best do so regard it," added De Banyan as he administered another mild
+punch on the ribs of his fellow-sufferer. "I was taken by the Yankees, in
+short; and, at the first convenient opportunity, I have come over to see
+you again."
+
+"I hope it is all right, Barney; but I am afraid it is not."
+
+"I shall be able to clear myself of every imputation of disloyalty,
+before the proper tribunal."
+
+"How did you get over?"
+
+"I have been following the fortunes of the Yankee army till last night;
+when I took a boat, and came over the river. On the way I met a pilot
+whose name was Andy, who turned me over to this man, who is also a pilot,
+and came down to take out a fire-ship."
+
+"The one that was burned in the creek last night?"
+
+"The same. I refer you to Captain Osborn for the truth of the last part
+of my statement; though the time was when you did not ask me to bring
+vouchers for what I said."
+
+"For nothing, except your stories of the Crimea and the Italian war,"
+replied the captain of cavalry with a significant smile. "I must do you
+the justice to say, that I never knew you to tell a falsehood on any
+matter connected with your social or business relations."
+
+"Thank you for so much," replied De Banyan. "Now that I have made it all
+right, I suppose you needn't trouble yourself to attend to my affairs any
+further."
+
+"No trouble at all, I assure you. Under the circumstances, I shall feel
+it my duty to deliver you into the hands of my superiors, and they can do
+as they please with you. But I sincerely hope that you will be able to
+vindicate your character from the stain which rests upon it."
+
+"I don't think it needs any vindication."
+
+"There is some difference of opinion between us on that point. Where are
+you going now?"
+
+"To Richmond," replied De Banyan promptly; and perhaps he intended to go
+there with the Army of the Potomac, though its present prospects of
+reaching the rebel capital were not very favorable.
+
+"This is not the way to Richmond. Your stories don't agree very well."
+
+"I thought it was; or rather to Petersburg, and from there we expected to
+get a ride up in the cars."
+
+"Oh, very well! I can procure you a pass to Richmond," added the rebel.
+
+"And an escort to attend us, I suppose," replied De Banyan with a smile.
+
+"A small one; but here is the house where Captain Osborn lodges. If he
+knows your friend here, and can vouch for his loyalty, all well; if not,
+we shall not part two such loving friends."
+
+Captain Osborn had not risen when the company of cavalry reached his
+quarters; but he was called from his bed, and appeared in front of the
+house in the worst possible humor; for, being human, he did not like to
+have his slumbers disturbed by unseasonable calls. As Somers feared
+Captain Osborn denied all knowledge of the prisoners, except so far as
+related to his interview with them during the night. He had never seen
+either of them before; and he even took the trouble to add that he didn't
+believe the young fellow was a pilot, which was gratuitous and uncalled
+for on his part.
+
+"Well, Marvel," added the cavalry officer rather coldly, "this business
+is settled very much as I supposed it would be. I shall have to send you
+up to Richmond, where, if your stories are all true, I doubt not you will
+be able to clear yourself."
+
+"Thank you, captain. You are the same affectionate fellow you used to be
+when you were a lieutenant in the Third Tennessee," replied De Banyan
+with a sneer; for it was evident that he was not at all pleased with the
+result of the affair.
+
+Four soldiers were detailed from the company to conduct the prisoners to
+a certain camp near the railroad at City Point, and there deliver them
+over to the keeping of an officer whose name was mentioned.
+
+"Good-morning, captain," said De Banyan with forced gayety.
+
+"Good-morning, Marvel, and success to you."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"By the way, Barney, if there is anything I can do for you, don't fail to
+call upon me; that is, anything consistent with the duty of a faithful
+officer."
+
+"Such a remark was entirely uncalled for," said De Banyan with dignity.
+"Do you think I would ask an officer to sacrifice his conscience?"
+
+"Excuse me, Barney. I meant no offense," added the rebel captain, touched
+by the proud and dignified manner of his former friend.
+
+"Your words and your conduct are in keeping with each other."
+
+"Really, Barney, I meant nothing by the remark."
+
+"Then it was the more unmanly to make it."
+
+"I am still your friend. In proof of it, permit me to do you a favor,"
+pleaded the rebel, much concerned at the wound he had inflicted on the
+sensitive nature of his late associate in the Third Tennessee.
+
+"I ask no favors," answered De Banyan proudly.
+
+"You are too hard upon me. Upon my word, I meant no offense. As a proof
+of my friendship, I will take your parole of honor not to escape, and you
+shall report at Richmond at your own pleasure. If you have any interest
+in this young man, I will allow him the same favor."
+
+"After what has happened, I cannot accept a favor at your hands. I can't
+see how an officer who doubts my word should be willing to take my
+parole."
+
+"As you please, Marvel," added the captain petulantly. "I can do no more
+for you."
+
+Somers was greatly relieved when the rebel officer rode off, followed by
+his company. He had trembled with anxiety, when the parole was offered to
+De Banyan, lest he should accept it, and thus compel him to do the same.
+Although he could not see how it was to be brought about, he intended to
+escape from the hands of his captors at the first convenient opportunity,
+with or without De Banyan, as the case should demand.
+
+One of the four troopers detailed to guard the prisoners was a sergeant,
+who intimated to them that they might take up the line of march for the
+camp where they were bound. To preclude the possibility of an escape, he
+ordered two of his men to ride ahead of the captives, while himself and
+the other followed in the rear. The little procession moved off; and
+there was never a sadder-hearted young man than Somers, who, were his
+true character discovered, was liable to the pains and penalties of being
+a spy.
+
+"Sergeant, have you been to breakfast?" demanded De Banyan, after they
+had walked a couple of miles, and were passing a farm-house.
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"I smell fried bacon, and am willing to pay for breakfast for the whole
+party. What do you say?"
+
+"There is nothing in my orders to prevent me from taking up your offer;
+and I will do it, if you will agree not to run away while we are at the
+house," replied the prudent soldier.
+
+"How shall we run away, with four men watching us?" demanded De Banyan.
+
+The sergeant seemed to be satisfied with this argument; and they entered
+the house, where breakfast was soon in preparation for them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE REBEL FARM-HOUSE
+
+
+Somers, besides the chagrin caused by his capture, was greatly disturbed
+by the astounding discoveries he had made in regard to Captain de Banyan.
+He was extremely anxious to obtain an opportunity to converse with him in
+relation to his disgraceful antecedents; but the presence of the rebel
+soldiers prevented him from saying a word. Yet his looks must have
+betrayed the distrust he felt in his companion; for De Banyan seemed to
+study his face more than the faces of their captors.
+
+By this time, the six trusty soldiers who had been selected to
+participate in the enterprise must have given them up, and returned to
+the camp with the sad story of their capture. It was mortifying to Somers
+to have such a report carried to the general of the division; for it
+seemed to be an imputation upon his skill and tact; but he found some
+consolation in believing that he should not have been taken if it had not
+been for his unfortunate connection with Captain de Banyan, who was rash
+beyond measure in venturing within the rebel lines, unless he really
+meant to return to the Third Tennessee.
+
+Whatever the captain was, and whatever he intended to do, Somers could
+not believe that his late friend had deliberately betrayed him into the
+hands of the enemy. It might be so; or it might be that to save himself
+from the consequences of his alleged desertion, he would claim to have
+been always a faithful adherent of the Southern Confederacy. Somers was
+perplexed beyond description by the perils and uncertainties of his
+situation. He had, in fact, lost confidence in his companion; and the
+result was, that he resolved to make his escape, if he could, from the
+hands of the rebels without him. Under other circumstances, he would have
+deemed it infamous to harbor, for an instant, the thought of deserting a
+friend in the hour of extremity; and nothing but the remembrance of the
+Third Tennessee could have induced him to adopt such a resolution. Having
+adopted it, he kept his eyes wide open for any opportunity which would
+favor his purpose. His curiosity, excited to the highest pitch to know
+what the captain could say in defense of the heinous charge which had
+been fastened upon him by the rebel cavalry officer, and which he himself
+had substantiated, rendered the intention to part company with him very
+disagreeable; but the terror of a rebel prison, and perhaps a worse fate,
+were potent arguments in its favor.
+
+In the course of half an hour, the breakfast was ready, and the party sat
+down with a hearty relish to discuss it. The fried bacon and biscuit were
+luxuries to Somers, and he partook of them with a keener satisfaction
+than he did of the costly viands of the "Continental" and the "National;"
+but, deeply as he was interested in this pleasant employment, he hardly
+ceased for a moment to think of the grand project of making his escape.
+For the time, this had become the great business of existence, and he
+banished from his mind all minor questions.
+
+Opportunity is seldom wanting to those who are resolutely determined to
+do great deeds. Only the slow-molded and irresolute want a time and a
+place. The breakfast was finished, and the troopers and their prisoners
+were on excellent terms with each other long before the conclusion of the
+repast. Eating and drinking promote the social feeling; and Captain de
+Banyan was as brilliant as he had ever been in the camps of the
+Chickahominy. He made the rebels laugh, and excited their wonder by the
+most improbable stories in which even he had ever indulged. It would have
+been impossible to distinguish between the captives and the captors; for
+the latter were extremely considerate, as they had probably been
+instructed to be by the captain of the company.
+
+When the meal was finished, the troopers rose, and proposed to resume the
+journey. De Banyan paid the bill in gold; for there was still a small
+portion of the precious metal in the army.
+
+"Now we are ready," said the sergeant; "and we will get our horses. It's
+a pity we haven't horses for you; but, when you get tired, we will give
+you the use of the saddles for a time."
+
+"Thank you, my friend. That's handsome. You remind me of a Russian
+major-general, who insisted that I should ride his animal while he walked
+by my side, after I was taken prisoner in the battle of Austerlitz."
+
+"He was a good fellow," replied the sergeant, who probably did not
+remember the precise date of the celebrated battle quoted by the
+versatile captain. "We shall not be behind him; and, if you like, you
+shall have the first ride on my horse."
+
+"Thank you; but I couldn't think of depriving you of your horse, even for
+a moment."
+
+"Well, we will settle all that by and by. Come with me now, if you
+please," said the sergeant, as he led the way out of the house.
+
+As very little attention seemed to be paid to Somers--for the rebels
+evidently did not regard him as either a slippery or a dangerous
+person--he was permitted to bring up the rear. Now, it is always
+mortifying to be held in slight esteem, especially to a sensitive mind
+like that of our hero; and he resented the slight by declining to follow
+the party. Near the outside door, as they passed out, he discovered
+another door, which was ajar, and which led up-stairs. Without any waste
+of valuable time, he slyly stepped through the doorway, and ascended the
+stairs. The rebels were so busy in listening to the great stories of
+Captain de Banyan, that they did not immediately discover the absence of
+the unpretending young man.
+
+When our resolute adventurer saw the stairs through the partially open
+door, they suggested to him a method of operations. It is true, he did
+not have time to elaborate the plan, and fully determine what he should
+do when he went up-stairs; but the general idea, that he could drop out
+of a window and escape in the rear of the house, struck him forcibly, and
+he impulsively embraced the opportunity thus presented. The building was
+an ordinary Virginia farm-house, rudely constructed, and very imperfectly
+finished. On ascending the stairs, Somers reached a large, unfinished
+apartment, which was used as a store-room. From it opened, at each end of
+the house, a large chamber.
+
+No place of concealment, which was apparently suitable for his purpose,
+presented itself; and, without loss of time, he mounted a grain chest,
+and ascended to the loft over one of the rooms; for the beams were not
+floored in the middle of the building. The aspect of this place was not
+at all hopeful; for there were none of those convenient "cubby holes,"
+which most houses contain, wherein he could bestow his body with any hope
+of escaping even a cursory search for him.
+
+In the gable end, on one side of the chimney, which, our readers are
+aware, is generally built on the outside of the structure, in Virginia,
+was a small window, one-half of which, in the decay of the glass panes,
+had been boarded up to exclude the wind and the rain. The job had
+evidently been performed by a bungling hand, and had never been more than
+half done. The wood was as rotten as punk; and without difficulty, and
+without much noise, the fugitive succeeded in removing the board which
+had covered the lower part of the window.
+
+By this time the absence of the prisoner had been discovered, and the
+rebels were in a state of high excitement on account of it; but Somers
+was pleased to find they had not rightly conjectured the theory of his
+escape. He could hear them swear, and hear them considering the direction
+in which he had gone. Two of them stood under the window, to which Somers
+had restored the board he had removed; and he could distinctly hear all
+that they said.
+
+"Of course he did," said one of them. "He slipped round the corner of the
+house when we came out."
+
+"If he did, where is he? It's open ground round here; and he couldn't
+have gone ten rods before we missed him."
+
+"The captain will give it to me," replied the other, whose voice the
+fugitive recognized to be that of the sergeant.
+
+"We shall find him," added the other. "He can't be twenty rods from here
+now."
+
+"I did not think of the young fellow running off, but kept both eyes on
+the other all the time; for I thought he wasn't telling all those stories
+for nothing."
+
+"Maybe he is in the house," suggested the other.
+
+Somers thought that was a very bad suggestion of the rebel soldier; and,
+if there had been any hope of their believing him, he would himself have
+informed them that he was not in the house, and reconciled his conscience
+as best he could to the falsehood.
+
+"Can't yer find 'em?" demanded a third person, which Somers saw, through
+the aperture he had left between the board and the window, was the
+farmer.
+
+"We haven't lost but one."
+
+"He can't be fur from this yere."
+
+"Isn't he in the house?" demanded the sergeant anxiously.
+
+"No; I saw them both foller yer out."
+
+"So did I," added the farmer's wife, who had come out to learn the cause
+of the excitement.
+
+"Well, then, we must beat about here, and find him;" and the party
+beneath the window moved away in the rear of the house.
+
+Thus far, the project was hopeful; but it was apparent to Somers that the
+rebels would not leave the place without searching the house, after they
+had satisfied themselves that the fugitive was not hidden in any of the
+out-buildings of the farm. If they did so, his situation would at once
+become hopeless, if he remained where he was. The remembrance of his
+former experience in a chimney, in another part of Virginia, caused him
+to cast a wistful eye at the great stone structure which adorned the end
+of the building. At that time, he had occupied his smoky quarters with
+the knowledge and consent of the lady of the house. But now his secret
+was lodged in his own breast alone; not even Captain de Banyan knew where
+he was, or what he proposed to do.
+
+When the party beneath the window left the place, he carefully removed
+the board, and thrust out his head to reconnoiter the position. The only
+way by which he could enter the chimney, which his former experience and
+prejudice assured him was the only safe place in the vicinity, was by the
+top. To achieve such a result was a difficult piece of gymnastics, even
+if it could have been performed without reference to any spectators; but
+to accomplish it without being seen by any of the party below was as near
+an impossibility as any impracticable thing could be.
+
+The rebels, both civil and military, were now out of sight; but he
+doubted not from his eyrie on the ridge-pole of the house, if he could
+reach it, they could all be seen. Somers was as prudent as he was bold,
+and he decided not to run any risks until necessity should absolutely
+compel such a course. Quietly ensconcing himself beneath the window,
+where he could hear what transpired below, he waited the issue; but he
+had studied out the precise steps which it would be necessary for him to
+take in order to reach the roof of the house. He knew exactly where his
+right and his left foot were to be successfully planted to achieve his
+purpose, when it could no longer be postponed. But he indulged a faint
+hope that the rebels would widen the area of their search, and finally
+abandon it when it should be unsuccessful.
+
+A long quarter of an hour elapsed--long enough to be an hour's time as
+its ordinary flow is measured; so burdened with intense anxiety was each
+second that made up its sum total. The rebels, assisted by the farmer and
+his wife, who were now hardly less zealous than the soldiers, had
+examined every hole and corner in the vicinity of the house, without
+finding the escaped prisoner.
+
+"I tell you, he must be in the house," said the sergeant, as the party
+paused under the window on their return to the front of the house.
+
+"Of course, ye kin look in the house if yer like; but I see 'em both go
+out of the door with yer," persisted the farmer.
+
+"We will search the house," added the sergeant resolutely.
+
+"Yer kin, if yer like; but I hope yer won't lose the other feller while
+ye're looking for this one."
+
+"I told Gordon to shoot him if he attempted to get away; and I can trust
+Gordon."
+
+They passed out of hearing, and Somers felt that his time had come. But,
+as we have several times before had occasion to remark, strategy is
+successful in one only by the blunders and inertness of the other; and he
+cherished with increased enthusiasm his project of hiding in the chimney.
+Neither the farmer nor the soldiers were trained detectives, and the
+blunder they made which rendered Somers's strategy more available was in
+hunting in crowds instead of singly. They all entered the house together;
+and even Gordon, in charge of the other prisoner, conducted him to the
+interior, that he might have the pleasure of seeing the fugitive
+unearthed.
+
+Taking down the board, Somers emerged from the little window, and, by the
+steps which he had before marked out, ascended to the roof; a difficult
+feat, which would have been impossible to one whose father was not the
+master of a vessel, and who had not explored a ship from the step to the
+truck of the mainmast. It was done, safely done, and without much noise,
+which would have been as fatal as a fall. As he sprang from the window
+still to a projecting stone in the chimney, he heard the steps of the
+whole party on the stairs below. He was not an instant too soon in the
+execution of his project; and, when he reached the ridge-pole of the
+house, he paused to recover the breath which he had lost by excitement
+and exertion.
+
+The pursuers occupied some time in examining the store-room and the
+adjoining chambers, and he had a sufficient interval for rest before he
+renewed his labors. But in a few moments he heard the noise caused by the
+party ascending to the loft over the room beneath him, and the movement
+could no longer be delayed.
+
+"I tell yer, sergeant, the feller isn't in here!" protested the farmer
+violently, and in a tone loud enough for Somers to hear him on the roof.
+"Be keerful there, or you'll break down the plastering."
+
+Somers could not hear what the sergeant said in reply; but the farmer was
+so earnest in his protest against any further search of his house, that
+the fugitive was almost willing to believe that the protester knew he was
+in the house, was his friend, and meant to save him from the hands of his
+enemies. But this supposition was too absurd to be tolerated, for the
+farmer could have no possible interest in his welfare.
+
+While watching, he had taken off his shoes, and thrust one into each
+side-pocket of the old blouse he wore, partly to save noise, and partly
+to prevent his feet from slipping on the smooth stones of the chimney.
+Thus prepared, he climbed to the top, and commenced the descent of the
+smoky avenue. He found the opening much smaller than that of his previous
+experience in chimneys; and, after he had descended a few feet, the place
+became inconveniently dark. He could no longer hear the steps or the
+voices of his pursuers; and he had begun to congratulate himself on the
+ultimate success of his stratagem, when his foot struck upon something
+which moved out of his way. It was an animal--perhaps a cat. He moved on.
+
+"Quit! Lemme alone!" said a snarling voice beneath him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE MAN IN THE CHIMNEY
+
+
+"Lemme alone!" repeated the voice in the chimney several times before
+Somers could make up his mind as to the precise nature of the adventure
+upon which he had stumbled.
+
+There was another man in the chimney; and this was the full extent of his
+knowledge in regard to the being who had stepped into his darkened path.
+A succession of exciting questions presented themselves to his mind, all
+of which were intimately connected with the individual with whom, for the
+moment, his lot seemed to be cast. Was he friend, or foe? Yankee, rebel,
+or neutral? What was he in the chimney for? What business had he there?
+
+Somers had some knowledge of a useful and otherwise rightly respectable
+class of persons, known as chimney-sweeps, who pursue their dark trade up
+and down such places as that in which he was now burrowing; but the
+sweeps were a civilized institution, and he could hardly expect to find
+them in this benighted section of the Ancient Dominion. He did not,
+therefore, waste a moment in the consideration of the question, whether
+the man beneath him was a chimney-sweep or not; for the supposition was
+too improbable even for the pages of a sensational novel.
+
+The individual was in the chimney; and there seemed to be the boundary of
+knowledge on the subject. If he was not crazy, he was there for
+concealment; and, thus far the two occupants of the chimney were in
+sympathy with each other. Why should the man wish to conceal himself? Was
+he a hated Yankee like himself, pursued and hunted down by the myrmidons
+of Jeff Davis? Certainly, if he was a rebel, he had no business in the
+chimney. It was no place for rebels; they had no occasion to be there.
+
+Of course, then, the man must be a Yankee, a fellow-sufferer with Somers
+himself, and therein entitled to the utmost consideration from him. But,
+if a Yankee, what Yankee? The species did not abound on this side of the
+river; and he could not imagine who it was, unless it were one of his own
+party. Just then, induced by this train of reflection, came a tremendous
+suggestion, which seemed more probable than anything he had before
+thought of. Was it possible that the other denizen of the sooty flue
+could be Captain de Banyan?
+
+His fellow-prisoner had been taken into the house by his custodian; and,
+while the guard was looking the other way, perhaps he had suddenly popped
+up the chimney, leaving the rebel soldier in charge of him to believe
+that he was in league with the powers of darkness, and had been spirited
+away by some diabolical imp.
+
+In the range of improbable theories which the fertile mind of Somers
+suggested to account for the phenomenon of the chimney, this seemed more
+reasonable than any of the others. The personage below him very
+considerately dropped down a step or two, to enable our theorist to
+discuss the question to his own satisfaction; albeit it did not take him
+a tithe of the time to do his thinking which it has taken his biographer
+to record it.
+
+"Captain?" said he in a gentle whisper, as insinuating as the breath of a
+summer evening to a love-sick girl.
+
+"I ain't a captain; I'm nothing but a private!" growled the other, who
+seemed to be in very ill-humor.
+
+Nothing but a private! It was not the captain then, after all. He had
+hoped, and almost believed, it was. He had told his friend all about his
+experience in a chimney; and it seemed to him quite probable that the
+valiant hero of Magenta and Solferino had remembered the affair, and
+attempted to try his own luck in a similar manner. It was not the voice
+of the captain, nor were there any of his peculiarities of tone or
+manner. If the other character had only said Balaclava, Alma, or
+Palestro, it would have been entirely satisfactory in any tone or in any
+manner.
+
+"What are you doing here?" demanded Somers in the same low voice, with
+commendable desire to obtain further knowledge of the dark subject
+beneath him.
+
+"I don't want nothin' of you; so yer kin let me alone. If yer don't let
+me alone, I'll be dog derned if I don't ketch hold of yer legs, and pull
+yer down chimley."
+
+"Hush!" said Somers in warning tones. "They will hear you, if you speak
+so loud."
+
+The man was a rebel, or at least a Southerner; and it passed our hero's
+comprehension to determine what he was doing in such a place.
+
+"Hush yerself!" snarled the disconcerted rebel. "What yer want o' me? I
+ain't done nothin' to you."
+
+"I don't want anything of you; but, if you don't keep still, I'll drop a
+stone on your head," replied Somers, irritated by the fellow's stupidity.
+
+"Will yer?"
+
+"Not if you keep still. Don't you see we are in the same box? I don't
+want to be caught, any more than you do."
+
+"Who be yer?" asked the man, a little mollified by this conciliatory
+remark.
+
+"Never mind who I am now. The soldiers are in the house looking for us;
+and, if you make a noise, they will hear you."
+
+"What regiment do yer belong ter?" said the lower occupant of the chimney
+in a whisper.
+
+"Forty-first," replied Somers at a venture, willing to obtain the
+advantage of the fellow's silence.
+
+"Did yer run away?"
+
+"No. Did you?"
+
+"What yer in here fur, if yer didn't run away, then?" asked the deserter
+from the rebel army, which it was now sufficiently evident was his
+character.
+
+"Keep still!" replied Somers, regretting that he had not given a
+different answer.
+
+"I know yer!" exclaimed the rebel, making a movement farther down the
+chimney, thereby detaching sundry pieces of stone and mortar, which
+thundered down upon the hearth below with a din louder, as it seemed to
+Somers in his nervousness, than all the batteries of the Army of the
+Potomac. "Yer come to ketch me in a trap. Scotch me if I don't blow yer
+up so high 'twill take yer six months ter come down ag'in!"
+
+"Keep still!" pleaded Somers, in despair at the unreasonableness of the
+rebel. "The soldiers are after me; and, if they catch me, they will catch
+you. 1 don't want to hurt you. If you will only keep still, I will help
+you out of the scrape."
+
+"You go to Babylon! Yer can't fool me! What yer doin' in the chimley?"
+
+If Somers could quietly have put a bullet through the fellow's head, and
+thus have punished him for the crime of desertion, he might have promoted
+his own cause; but the bullet would not do its work without powder, and
+powder was noisy; and therefore the remedy was as bad as the disorder, to
+say nothing of assuming to himself the duty of a rebel provost-marshal.
+
+"Yer can't fool me!" repeated the fellow, after Somers had tried for a
+moment the effect of silence upon him.
+
+It was unnecessary to fool such an idiot; for Nature had effectually done
+the job without human intervention. It was useless to waste words upon
+him; and Somers crept cautiously up out of his reach, and out of his
+hearing, unless he yelled out his insane speeches. Every moment he
+stopped to listen for sounds within the house; but he could hear none,
+either because the pursuers had abandoned the search, or because the
+double thickness of wood and stone shut out the noise.
+
+The rebel deserter, for a wonder, kept quiet when Somers retreated from
+him, evidently believing that actions spoke louder than words. From his
+lower position in the flue, he could look up into the light, and observe
+the movements of him whom he regarded as an enemy. He seemed to have
+discretion enough to keep still, so long as no direct attack was made
+upon him; and to be content to wait for a direct assault before he
+attempted to repel it; which was certainly more than Somers expected of
+him, after what had transpired.
+
+Carefully and noiselessly our fugitive made his way to the top of the
+chimney for the purpose of ascertaining the position of the pursuers, as
+well as to remove all ground of controversy with the intractable
+deserter. On reaching the top, he heard the voice of the sergeant at the
+window, who had probably just reached this point in his investigations.
+
+"How came this board knocked off?" demanded the sergeant, who had perhaps
+observed some other indications of the advance of the fugitive in this
+direction.
+
+"The wind blowed it off t'other day," promptly replied the farmer. "Yer
+don't s'pose the feller went out that winder, do yer?"
+
+"No; but I think he has been up here somewhere."
+
+"Well, I hope yer'll find him; but I've showed yer into every hole and
+corner in the house; and I tell yer he's five mile from this yere 'fore
+now."
+
+The sergeant looked out of the window, looked up to the top of the
+chimney, and looked up to the ridge-pole of the house. He was no sailor
+himself; and, if the thought had occurred to him that the Yankee had
+passed from this window to the roof of the house, he would have been
+willing to take his Bible oath that not a man in the Southern Confederacy
+could have accomplished such an impossible feat. He could not do it
+himself, and consequently he believed that no other man could. After
+examining the situation to his entire satisfaction, he retired from the
+window, and with a great many impolite and wicked oaths, aimed at Yankees
+in general, and deserters in particular, he descended from the loft, and
+abandoned the search.
+
+Somers was happy, and even forgave the deserter in the lower part of the
+chimney for his stupidity. He waited patiently for the troopers to
+depart--very patiently, now that the burden of the peril seemed to be
+over; for he had heard the conclusions of the sergeant at the window.
+From his present perch near the top of the chimney, he could hear some of
+the conversation in front of the house; and he even ventured to take a
+look at his enemies below. To his intense satisfaction, he saw them mount
+their horses: and he was not much disturbed by the unamiable reflections
+which they cast upon him.
+
+Captain de Banyan was with them; thus proving in the most conclusive
+manner that the gentleman in the chimney was not this distinguished
+individual. Having lost one prisoner, they were particularly cautious in
+regard to the disposition of the other. The captain marched off in gloomy
+dignity, with two cavalrymen before and two behind him. Somers caught a
+glance at his face as he turned the corner into the road. It was sad
+beyond anything which he had ever observed in his countenance before, and
+a momentary twinge of conscience upbraided him for deserting a comrade in
+such an hour; he might have waited till both of them could escape
+together. But the captain's record in the Third Tennessee assured him
+that he had only done his duty; though he hoped his brilliant friend
+would be able, if an opportunity was ever presented, to remove the stain
+which now rested on his name and fame.
+
+With a feeling of intense relief, however much he commiserated the
+misfortunes of his comrade, Somers saw the little procession move up the
+road which led to Richmond and a rebel dungeon. They disappeared; and
+while he was considering in what manner he should make his way down to
+the creek, where he hoped to find a boat in which to leave this
+treacherous soil, he heard a voice beneath him, and farther down than the
+locality of the deserter.
+
+"Yer kin come down now, Tom," said the farmer.
+
+Though the name was his own, the invitation was evidently not intended
+for him; and he remained quietly on his perch, waiting for further
+developments.
+
+"Hev they all gone, dad?" asked the deserter.
+
+"Yes; all gone. Yer kin come down now."
+
+The renegade, then, was the son of the farmer; which accounted for the
+unwillingness of the latter to have the house searched by the soldiers;
+and, though Somers had a general contempt for deserters, he felt his
+indebtedness to this interesting family for the service they had
+unwittingly endeavored to render him.
+
+Tom--Somers wanted to have his name changed then--Tom descended from his
+position in the chimney. It was an easy matter; for the kitchen was at
+the other end of the house, and there had been no fire on this hearth for
+many a month.
+
+"Dad," said this graceless son of a graceless sire.
+
+"Go and wash yer face, Tom. Ye're blacker than Black Jack."
+
+"Dad, there's another man up the chimley. We come near havin' a fight up
+there. I told him what I would do; and he got skeered, and went up top."
+
+"What d'yer mean, Tom?" demanded the patriarch.
+
+Tom stated again, more explicitly than before, the subject matter of his
+startling communication.
+
+"I reckon he's a Yank, dad; he talks like one, but says he b'longs to the
+Forty-fust Virginny. I know he's a Yank. I kin smell one a mile off."
+
+Somers was flattered; but he was not angry at the compliment, and calmly
+waited for an invitation to join the family below.
+
+"He's the feller that gin the soldiers the slip," added the father. "The
+sergeant says he's a Yank; but t'other prisoner says he's a James River
+pilot."
+
+"I know he's a Yank. He'd 'a' killed me if I hadn't skeered him off."
+
+"I reckon he skeered you more'n you skeered him," added the head of the
+family, who appeared not to have a very high opinion of his son's
+courage. "We'll smoke him out, Tom. Go'n git some pitch-wood and sich
+truck."
+
+Somers had a very strong objection to being smoked out, and he commenced
+a forward and downward movement in the direction of the assailing party.
+Fearing that some unworthy advantage might be taken of his lower
+extremities before he could assume an attitude of defense, he drew his
+pistol, and placed himself a few feet above the fire-place. Tom returned
+with the fuel, and the old man ordered him to make a fire.
+
+"One moment, if you please," said Somers. "I'll shoot the first man of
+you that attempts to make a fire there."
+
+With an exclamation of terror, Tom retreated from the hearth; and Somers,
+improving the opportunity, leaped down from his perch. Stepping out from
+the great fire-place, he stood in the presence of the hopeful son and
+sire.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+A BROKEN BARGAIN
+
+
+Somers was entirely satisfied with himself when he stood in the presence
+of the farmer and his son; and, so far as they were concerned, he had no
+fears for the future. The redoubtable Tom retired to one corner of the
+room, and, full of terror, awaited the issue. The father was the braver
+of the two, and stood in the middle of the floor, confronting the
+pestilent Yankee who had thus so unceremoniously invaded his house.
+
+"Who be you?" demanded the old man.
+
+"No matter who I am," replied Somers, with the pistol still in his hand.
+"I propose to spend the day with you, and will pay for everything I
+have."
+
+"Perhaps yer will stay here, and perhaps yer won't," replied the farmer
+doggedly.
+
+"There's no perhaps about it; I intend to stay here."
+
+"I s'pose yer don't keer whether I'm willing or not."
+
+"On the contrary, I do care. I had much rather stay with your consent
+than without."
+
+"Well, then, yer won't stay with my consent."
+
+"Then I shall stay without it," answered Somers, with a degree of
+decision which was exceedingly annoying to his involuntary host.
+
+"No, yer won't," growled the farmer.
+
+"I will pay you well for the use of this room, and for all that I eat and
+drink," said Somers, wishing to be fully understood.
+
+"Yer can't stay here."
+
+"No, yer can't," added Tom.
+
+"I have made you a fair offer, and am willing to do what is right; and,
+as I said before, I intend to stay here till to-night, whether you are
+willing or not."
+
+"Yer kin put up your pistol; I ain't afeerd on it."
+
+"I have no desire to use the pistol to your injury, and shall not do so
+unless in self-defense. You know that I am a fugitive."
+
+"A nigger, by gracious!" exclaimed the farmer, whose vocabulary was very
+limited, and who had no idea that the word "fugitive" could mean anything
+but a runaway negro.
+
+"You know that the soldiers are after me, and it will not be safe for me
+to leave this house before dark. I'm not a nigger; and it makes no
+difference to you what I am."
+
+"You are a dirty Yankee; and I'd rather hev a hundred niggers in my house
+than one Yankee."
+
+"That's a matter of taste. If you are fond of negroes, I don't interfere
+with you for that."
+
+"Shet up!" snarled the farmer, highly displeased with the answer of the
+fugitive. "I won't hev a Yankee in my house a single hour."
+
+"Very well; we won't argue the matter. You can do anything you please
+about it," replied Somers with perfect indifference as he seated himself
+in a chair.
+
+"Then yer kin leave."
+
+"I shall not leave; on the contrary, I shall remain here till night."
+
+"I reckon we'll see about that. I'll jest go down and call up two or
+three of them soldiers, and let 'em know you're a Yankee. I calkilate
+they'll tote you out of this rather sudden."
+
+"Go ahead!" replied Somers coolly.
+
+"I reckon ye'll tell another story by the time they git here."
+
+"I reckon your son Tom will too," added the unwelcome guest.
+
+"See here, dad; that won't work, nohow," interposed the hopeful son.
+"They'll ketch me if yer do."
+
+"Exactly so," added Somers, who, of course, had depended upon the
+situation of the rebel deserter for his own safety.
+
+The farmer looked at his intractable guest, and then upon his dutiful
+son; and the idea tardily passed through his dull brain that the soldiers
+would be just as dangerous to the welfare of the son as to the visitor.
+Probably he had intended, when the military force came, to send Tom up
+the chimney, as he had done a dozen times before; but the secret was no
+longer in the keeping of the family alone.
+
+"I see you understand the case perfectly," said Somers, as he
+contemplated with intense satisfaction the blank dismay of both father
+and son. "If you had the wisdom of Solomon, you couldn't comprehend it
+any better."
+
+"I reckon ye're about right, stranger," replied the farmer.
+
+"You can see now it is for your interest as well as mine that we make
+friends. Tom's safety and mine are both the same thing. The best you can
+do is to take good care of me to-day, and at night help me to make my way
+over to the other side of the river."
+
+"Then yer be a Yank?"
+
+"I didn't say so. Tom can go with me if he likes. He will be safer there
+than here."
+
+"Tom?"
+
+"If he is a deserter from the rebel army, he will be caught sooner or
+later, and be shot. He will be safe on the other side of the river."
+
+"Go over to the Yanks! He hates 'em wurs'n pizin. Don't yer, Tom?"
+
+"Bet yer life I do, dad," replied the hopeful son. "I won't go over thar,
+nohow."
+
+"Just as he pleases about that. I only wanted to do him a friendly act."
+
+"Well, stranger, I don't mind keepin' yer to-day; but Tom can't go with
+yer."
+
+"Very well; then I will stay in this room; and, if the soldiers come, I
+can go up the chimney with Tom," replied Somers. "I'm tired and sleepy.
+Didn't sleep a wink last night. I will take a nap on the floor. You will
+wake me, Tom, if there's any danger; won't you?"
+
+"Yes, I'll wake yer," replied the deserter with a broad grin.
+
+"We'll see that you don't git caught; kase, if yer do, of course, Tom'll
+git caught too," added the farmer.
+
+There was something in his manner which Somers did not like. Though he
+was a man of dull mind, there was a kind of low cunning visible in his
+look and manner which warned Somers to be cautious. He stretched himself
+on the floor; and the farmer and his son left the room, closing the door
+behind them.
+
+Our scout was, as he had before declared, both tired and sleepy; but rest
+and sleep were luxuries in which he could not permit himself to indulge
+in the midst of so much peril and so many enemies. As soon as the door
+closed behind the sire and the son, he rose from his reclining posture,
+and hastened to reconnoiter the position. The enemy--for such he was
+fully assured his host was--passed through the entry and out the door at
+the back of the house, as Somers discovered from the noise of their
+retreating footsteps.
+
+There was a window in the rear of the room, which commanded a full view
+of them as they paused near the door to consider the situation. Somers
+raised the sash a little, so that he could hear what they said, not
+doubting that his own case would be the subject of the conversation.
+
+"Don't you do it, dad," protested Tom in answer to some proposition which
+the farmer had made before the listener came within hearing distance of
+them.
+
+"Don't yer be skeert, Tom. The feller's gone ter sleep in there, and the
+soldiers kin hurry him off afore he wakes up. Don't yer see, Tom? I
+reckon the Yank's an officer, and they'll give me suthin handsome fur
+ketchin him."
+
+"Yes; but, dad, they'll get suthin handsome fur ketchin me too."
+
+"You kin hide, as yer allers does when they comes."
+
+"But the Yank will blow on me."
+
+"What if he does?"
+
+"He'll tell 'em I'm up chimley, and then they'll look fur me."
+
+"Tom, ye're a bigger fool'n yer father!" said the farmer petulantly.
+"Can't yer hide in t'other place down suller?"
+
+"It looks kinder skeery, dad," replied the doubtful son.
+
+"Yer used ter hide down suller more'n yer did up chimley. But don't yer
+see, Tom, arter I've called in the soldiers, and give up the Yank,
+they'll think I'm a patriot, and won't b'leeve nothin' a dirty Yank can
+say agin' me."
+
+"Well, dad, I hate the Yank as bad as you do; but yer must be keerful."
+
+"Now go and see that the feller don't wake up and run off, and I'll go
+down arter a sergeant and half a dozen men. When yer hear us comin', just
+step down suller'n crawl inter the drean. Git the feller's pistol out of
+his pocket, if yer kin, while he's asleep."
+
+"What a precious old scoundrel that man is!" thought Somers, as he
+retreated from the window, and threw himself on the floor where the
+farmer had left him.
+
+He almost regretted that he had not used his pistol on the treacherous
+old villain, who had made a fair bargain with him, and agreed to the
+terms of the contract. The wretch had actually gone after the soldiers to
+entrap him, and Tom was to remain and keep watch of him in the meantime.
+Taking the revolver from his pocket, he thrust it under his blouse; still
+keeping his hand upon it, so as to make sure that the deserter did not
+carry out his part of the programme. Thus prepared for the conflict which
+might ensue, or for any other event, he closed his eyes, and pretended to
+be asleep.
+
+Presently the door softly opened, and Tom crept into the room. He had
+taken off his shoes, that his step on the uncarpeted floor might not
+disturb his prey, and stole towards him. After approaching as near to the
+prostrate form as he dared, he bent over him to determine in which pocket
+the pistol had been placed. Somers was tempted to grapple him by the
+throat, as he listened to the young villain's subdued breathing; but he
+feared that he would scream if he did so, and it was necessary to achieve
+his conquest in a more gentle manner.
+
+He moved his body a little, as if his slumbers were disturbed by
+unpleasant dreams; and added a noise like a snore to complete the
+delusion. Tom retired for a moment till his victim should again be
+composed; but Somers, instead of subsiding into the slumber of a sleepy
+and tired man, gradually opened his eyes and waked up. Slowly rising into
+a sitting posture, he looked around him; and apparently, as if entirely
+by accident, he discerned Tom.
+
+"Can't yer sleep?" asked Tom, with extraordinary good nature for a person
+of his saturnine disposition.
+
+"I've been asleep these two hours, I believe," gaped Somers. "What time
+is it, Tom?"
+
+"'Tain't eight o'clock yet. Yer hain't been asleep more'n fifteen
+minutes."
+
+"Haven't I?"
+
+"Not more'n that. Better lay down, and finish yer nap; kase I s'pose yer
+won't git much sleep to-night, if ye're gwine over the river."
+
+"I feel better than I did, at any rate. I think I'll get up. It's
+tremendous hot here. Don't you ever open your windows?"
+
+"I reckon we do. I was just thinkin' o' that."
+
+And it was quite probable he was thinking of it; for he certainly wanted
+the earliest information of the approach of the soldiers. He opened the
+window in the front of the house, and Somers opened that in the rear. The
+latter then went to the door, and took a careful survey of the entry, in
+order to determine the way which the deserter must take to reach the
+cellar, where he was to conceal himself when the soldiers came. The
+prudent son of the master of the house had opened the door leading to the
+cellar, from which he was to enter his subterranean retreat.
+
+For more than an hour, Tom nervously watched the wakeful Yankee, and
+several times suggested to him that he could sleep just as well as not,
+promising to wake him up if there was any danger; but Somers was most
+provokingly lively for a man who had been up all the preceding night, and
+resolutely refused to take a hint or to adopt a suggestion. Both of them
+were fearfully anxious for the result that was pending, and each had his
+plan for overreaching the other. It was a long hour; but at last Tom
+broke the spell which seemed to rest on both of them by declaring that he
+was "clean choked up," and must go and get a drink of water. At the same
+moment, Somers heard the tramp of the soldiers in the road as they
+approached the house, and understood why his companion had suddenly
+become so thirsty.
+
+"No," said Somers, placing himself between the deserter and the door,
+with the revolver in his hand. "I don't want to be left alone. Somebody
+is coming to the house--half a dozen men. They are soldiers!" he
+exclaimed, glancing out at the window.
+
+"Run right up chimley thar, and you'll be as safe as if you was t'other
+side of the river."
+
+"But they'll catch you too! Come, Tom, up chimney with you, and I'll
+follow. If any one attempts to follow us, I'll shoot him with my pistol.
+Be in a hurry, Tom! We have no time to spare," urged Somers, driving the
+coward before him towards the fire-place.
+
+"You go up fust," pleaded Tom, in mortal terror of the revolver.
+
+"Up with you, or I'll blow your brains out!" added Somers in a low,
+fierce tone, which frightened his companion half out of his wits.
+
+"Don't fire, and I will," replied the wretch, as he stepped into the
+fire-place, and commenced the ascent of the chimney.
+
+"Up with you!" repeated Somers. "Now, if you attempt to come down, I'll
+shoot you."
+
+The voice of the farmer, leading the soldiers to their prey, was now
+heard close to the house; and Somers deemed it prudent no longer to
+remain in the room. Darting out into the entry, he made his way to the
+cellar, closing the door behind him just as the rebels were about to
+enter.
+
+"Where is he?" demanded the sergeant, who belonged to the battery at the
+works near the house.
+
+"In this room," replied the farmer, putting his hand on the door of the
+apartment where he had seen the victim lie down to sleep an hour before.
+"But yer must be keerful with him. He had a pistol, and mebbe he mought
+shoot some on us."
+
+"We aren't afraid of all the Yankees this side of the north pole," added
+the sergeant, as he pushed the door open and entered the room, followed
+by his squad of soldiers. "Where is he? There aren't no Yankee here."
+
+"Well, he was here an hour ago," said the farmer.
+
+"See here, old man, if you've been makin' a fool of us this hot day, I'll
+spit you on my bayonet. We heard that a deserter and a Yankee had been
+taken, and that the cavalry lost one of them."
+
+"That was the Yankee. They lost him, and I found him ag'in."
+
+"Where is he, then?"
+
+"He aren't far from here," said the farmer, walking up to the fire-place,
+and pointing up the chimney, where he had no doubt the victim had retired
+when he heard the soldiers approaching.
+
+"Up there?"
+
+"That's where the feller hid when the troopers was lookin' fur him; and
+yer kin be sure he's up there now. But yer must be keerful; fur he's got
+a pistol, and is a mighty savage fellow."
+
+"We'll soon bring him down," added the sergeant as he stepped into the
+fire-place, and looked up the chimney. "I see him; but he's half way up
+to the top. I reckon we can smoke him out best. Come, old man, take some
+of this pitch-wood, that will make a big smoke, and kindle a fire."
+
+"We'll soon have him," said the farmer as he obeyed the order.
+
+"I say, Yank!" shouted the sergeant up the chimney; "if you don't want to
+be smoked out, come down."
+
+No answer came to this polite suggestion; and then one of the soldiers
+proposed to fire his musket up the chimney; which so terrified the
+occupant thereof, that he begged for mercy.
+
+"Don't shoot, and I'll come down!" groaned the wretch.
+
+"The cowardly Yank! He's like all the rest of them. Come down quick,
+then!"
+
+The farmer, who had stepped out for more wood, returned; and at the same
+moment, Tom the deserter, begrimed with soot, dropped down on the hearth,
+and stepped out into the room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+SOMERS IS COMPELLED TO BACK OUT
+
+
+Very likely the Virginia farmer had some idea of retributive justice when
+he saw his hopeful son step out of the fire-place into the very jaws of
+ruin. To say that he was astonished would be expressing his state of mind
+too tamely; for he was overwhelmed with confusion, fear and mortification.
+He had expected to find the Yankee asleep on the floor; but, as he was not
+there, it was sufficiently evident to him that he had again resorted to
+the chimney for concealment. It had been distinctly arranged beforehand,
+that Tom, his son, should conceal himself in the cellar; and, of course,
+he did not expect to find him in the chimney.
+
+In short, all his expectations had been defeated, and he himself had
+opened the trap for his son to enter. He probably knew how strict was the
+discipline of the rebel army in respect to deserters. He had frequently
+heard of executions of persons of this class; and he could hardly expect
+his son to escape the penalty of his misconduct. He had broken his
+bargain with the fugitive; and, in attempting to surrender him to his
+implacable enemies, he had deprived his heir of liberty, if not of life.
+
+"This is your Yankee, is it?" demanded the sergeant, as he gazed at the
+remnants of the rebel uniform which Tom still wore.
+
+"No, no; this ain't the Yankee!" stammered the farmer.
+
+"Well, you needn't tell us who he is; for we know. I was told to keep a
+sharp lookout for one Tom Rigney, a deserter; and I reckon this is the
+chap. You are my prisoner, my fine lad."
+
+"There, now, dad!--d'ye see what ye've done?" snarled poor Tom Rigney, as
+he glanced reproachfully at the patriarch, who had unwittingly sprung the
+trap upon him.
+
+"I didn't do it, Tom," replied Farmer Rigney, appalled at the calamity
+which had overtaken his house.
+
+"Didn't you bring me in here to capture this boy?" asked the sergeant,
+who appeared to be bewildered by the unnatural act of the father.
+
+"I brought yer here to take the Yank, who was as sassy as a four-year-old
+colt."
+
+"He promised the Yankee he'd take keer on him till night," added the
+vengeful Tom.
+
+"That was only to keep him here till I could fotch somebody to take keer
+on him," pleaded the farmer. "The Yank must be up chimley now," he
+continued, reminded that his own reputation for loyalty to the great and
+general Southern Confederacy was now doubly compromised.
+
+"He ain't up there, dad, nohow," said Tom.
+
+"Where is he?" demanded the sergeant.
+
+"Dunno."
+
+"Where did he go?"
+
+"Dunno."
+
+"Didn't you see him?"
+
+"I reckon it was too dark, up chimley, to see anything."
+
+"Haven't you seen him?"
+
+"I reckon I have. He woked up, and druv me up chimley right smart, with
+the pistol in his hand; reckon, if I hadn't gone, I'd been a dead man;
+I'll be dog scotched if I shouldn't."
+
+"You say he drove you up the chimney?" demanded the sergeant.
+
+"I reckon he did."
+
+"Where did he go, then?"
+
+"Dunno."
+
+"Yes, you do know! If you don't tell, you'll get a bayonet through your
+vitals," said the soldier sternly, as he demonstrated with the ugly
+weapon he had fixed on his gun before he began to examine the chimney.
+
+"Dunno," replied the deserter sulkily.
+
+"Answer, or take the consequences!"
+
+"Dunno. Jes as lief be stuck with a bagonet as shot by a file of
+soldiers," answered Tom, to whom the future looked even more dark than
+the present.
+
+"Tell, Tom," pleaded his father.
+
+"Dunno, dad; I was up chimley when he left. Dunno no more'n the dead."
+
+Perhaps the sergeant concluded that Tom's position was a reasonable one,
+and that it would not have been possible for him to see, from his dark
+retreat, where the Yankee had gone. At any rate, he was saved from
+further persecution; and two of the men were ordered to conduct him to
+the camp, while the remainder stayed to continue the search for the
+fugitive. Farmer Rigney protested and pleaded, and even offered to warm
+the palms of the soldier's hands with certain pieces of gold which he had
+in the house; but, unfortunately for the patriotic farmer, the sergeant
+was above a bribe, and Tom was hurried off to his doom.
+
+A careful search of the house and premises was now instituted; and this
+time the farmer was a zealous co-operator with the soldiers; for it was
+necessary for him to establish his own loyalty before he could do
+anything to save his son from the deserter's fate. The party proceeded
+up-stairs first, and carefully examined every closet, and every nook and
+corner which could by any possibility contain the form of a man. As
+Somers was not up-stairs, of course they did not find him; and we will
+not weary our readers by following them in their fruitless search.
+
+Somers went down into the cellar, closing the door after him; and, as he
+may be lonesome in his gloomy retreat, we will join him there, though it
+was rather a tight place for more than one person. The cellar was dark
+when the fugitive made his advent within its somber shades; and, as he
+was an utter stranger in the place, he was not a little bewildered by the
+awkwardness of the situation. He was in darkness, and wished for light;
+at least, for enough to enable him to find the hiding-place of which he
+had heard the farmer speak.
+
+This snug retreat, where the deserter had balked his pursuers, was
+undoubtedly the cellar drain; though, to Somers, it appeared to be a
+Virginia notion to have it long enough to admit the form of a man. Tom
+Rigney was a larger person than himself; and the case was hopeful enough,
+if he could only find the opening. The cellar contained various boxes,
+barrels, firkins and other articles, the mass of which were piled up in
+one corner.
+
+Somers followed the wall entirely around, from the pile in the corner,
+till he returned to it, without finding what he desired. It was
+sufficiently evident, therefore, that the entrance to the drain was under
+the boxes and barrels, which had probably been placed over it to ward off
+the over-inquisitive gaze of any visitors who might explore the cellar.
+Our enterprising hero immediately commenced the work of burrowing beneath
+the rubbish, and soon had the happiness of discovering the identical road
+by which the original occupant of the place had entered. Before the
+opening, he found sufficient space to enable him to readjust the boxes
+and barrels, so as to hide his den from the observation of any who might
+be disposed to follow him in his subterranean explorations.
+
+The drain was certainly small enough, even for the genteel form of
+Captain Thomas Somers; though, as his mustache was quite diminutive in
+its proportions, he was able to worry himself along several feet into the
+gloomy hole. It was a miserable place in which to spend the day; but,
+miserable as it was, he hoped that he should be permitted to remain
+there. He was fully conscious of the perils of his situation. He knew
+that Tom, in the chimney, must be captured; and it was not probable that
+the farmer would let the soldiers depart without examining the house. His
+retreat was known to him, and there was not one chance in a hundred for
+the hole to be passed by without an examination.
+
+It would be fatal to remain where he was; and, after resting himself from
+the fatigue which the exertion of moving in his narrow den induced, he
+again pushed forward, cheered by the conclusion that a drain would be a
+useless institution without an opening at each end. Indeed, there was a
+glimmer of light at some distance before him; and he indulged the hope
+that he might work his way out to the blue sky.
+
+He had scarcely resumed his progressive movement, which had to be
+accomplished very much after the fashion of a serpent--for the aperture
+was too narrow for the regular exercise of his legs and arms--he had
+scarcely begun to move before voices in the cellar announced the approach
+of the pursuers. A cold sweat seemed to deluge his frame; for the sounds
+were like the knell of doom to him. With desperate energy he continued
+his serpent march; but it was only to butt his head against the stones of
+the drain, where its size was reduced to less than half its proportions
+near the cellar.
+
+His farther advance was hopelessly checked; and there was nothing more to
+be done but to wait patiently the result of the exciting event. He was
+satisfied that his feet were not within eight or ten feet of the cellar;
+for, being a progressive young man, he had entered the hole head first.
+It was possible, but not probable, that he might escape detection, even
+if the opening was examined; and, with what self-possession he could
+muster for the occasion, he lay, like the slimy worms beneath him, till
+ruin or safety should come.
+
+"I reckon he isn't down here," said the sergeant, after the party had
+examined the cellar, and even pulled over some of the boxes and barrels.
+
+"God bless you for a stupid fellow as you are!" thought Somers; for he
+was prudent enough not audibly to invoke benedictions, even upon the
+heads of his enemies; but the words of the sergeant afforded him a degree
+of relief, which no one, who has not burrowed in a drain in the rebel
+country, can understand or appreciate.
+
+"I reckon there's a place down in that corner that's big enough to hold a
+man; fur my son Tom's been in there," added the farmer.
+
+These words gave Somers another cold sweat; and perhaps he thought it was
+a mistake that he had not put a bullet through the patriarch's head when
+he had been tempted to do so in the room above. He was a double traitor;
+but I think the conscience of our hero was more at rest as it was than it
+would have been if he had shot down an unarmed man, even to save himself
+from prospective capture.
+
+"Where is the place?" demanded the sergeant.
+
+"In yonder, under them barrels and boxes. Jest fotch the trumpery out,
+and you'll see the hole," replied Rigney.
+
+Somers heard the rumble of the barrels, as they were rolled out of the
+way, with very much the same feelings that a conscious man in a trance
+would listen to the rumbling of the wheels of the hearse which was
+bearing him to the church-yard, only that he was to come forth from a
+hopeless grave to the more gloomy light of a rebel dungeon.
+
+"I can't see anything in that hole," said the sergeant. "No man could get
+into such a place as that."
+
+"Blessed are your eyes; for they see not!" thought Somers. "May your
+blindness be equal to that of the scribes and Pharisees!"
+
+"But my son Tom has been in there. I reckon a Yankee could crawl inter as
+small a hole as anybody."
+
+The sergeant thought this was funny; and he honored the remark with a
+hearty laugh, in which Somers was disposed to join, though he regretted
+for the first time in his life that he was unable to "crawl out at the
+little end of the horn." He was encouraged by the skepticism of the
+soldier, and was satisfied, that, if he attempted to demonstrate the
+proposition experimentally, he would be fully convinced of its
+difficulty, if not of its impossibility.
+
+"Go and bring another lamp and a pole," said the sergeant.
+
+One of the party went up the stairs, and Somers gave himself up for lost.
+The extra lamp would certainly expose him, to say nothing of the pole;
+and it seemed to be folly to remain there, and be punched with a stick,
+like a woodchuck in his hole. Besides, there is something in tumbling
+down gracefully, when one must inevitably tumble; and he was disposed to
+surrender gracefully, as the coon did when he learned that Colonel
+Crockett was about to fire and bring him down. There was no hope; and it
+is bad generalship, as well as inhuman and useless, to fight a battle
+which is lost before the first shot is fired.
+
+We have before intimated that Captain Somers, besides being a brave and
+enterprising young man, was a philosopher. He had that happy
+self-possession which enables one to bear the ills of life, as well as
+the courage and address to triumph over them. He had done everything
+which ingenuity, skill, and impudence could accomplish to save himself
+from the hands of the rebel soldiers; from a rebel prison, if not from a
+rebel halter. He had failed; and, though it gave him a bitter pang to
+yield his last hope, he believed that nothing better could be done than
+to surrender with good grace.
+
+"How are you, sergeant?" shouted he, when he had fully resolved upon his
+next step.
+
+"Hallo!" replied the sergeant, laughing heartily at the hail from the
+bowels of the earth. "How are you, Yank?"
+
+"In a tight place, sergeant; and I've concluded to back out," replied
+Somers.
+
+"Good! That's what all the Yankees will have to do before they grow much
+older. Back out, Yank!"
+
+Somers commenced the operation, which was an exceedingly unpleasant
+necessity to a person of his progressive temperament. It was a slow
+maneuver; but the sergeant waited patiently till it was accomplished, by
+which time the extra lamp and the pole had reported for duty.
+
+"How are you, Yank?" said the sergeant, laughing immoderately at the
+misfortune of his victim.
+
+"That's the smallest hole I ever attempted to crawl through," replied
+Somers, puffing and blowing from the violence of his exertions in
+releasing himself from his narrow prison-house.
+
+"How came you in such a place?" asked the sergeant as they walked up the
+stairs.
+
+"Well, my friend, the farmer here, suggested the idea to me. He said his
+son had crawled in there a great many times."
+
+"I?" exclaimed Rigney. "I never said a word about the drean."
+
+"You must be looked after," added the sergeant, with a menacing look at
+the discomfited farmer. "You have concealed a deserter in your house for
+weeks; and now we find that you hide Yankees too."
+
+"I didn't hide him!" protested Rigney.
+
+"Didn't you agree to keep me here till night?" asked Somers, who despised
+him beyond expression.
+
+"If I did, it was only to have the soldiers ketch yer."
+
+The sergeant declared that Rigney was a traitor, and that he must go
+along with him; but Somers, with more magnanimity than many men would
+have exercised towards such a faithless wretch, told the whole story
+exactly as it was, thus relieving him of a portion of his infidelity to
+the Southern Confederacy; and the sergeant was graciously pleased to let
+him remain at home, while his victim was marched off to the rebel camp.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+A NIGHT IN PETERSBURG
+
+
+The sergeant who had captured our hero seemed to be a very clever fellow,
+and appreciated the sterling merits of his captive. While he was rigidly
+devoted to the discharge of his duty, he treated his prisoner with all
+the consideration which one human being has the right to expect of
+another, whatever the circumstances under which they meet.
+
+Somers was disgusted with the result of the adventure, even while he had
+no reason to blame himself for any want of care or skill in conducting
+his affairs under the trying circumstances. He was only a few hours
+behind his late companion, Captain de Banyan; whom he had now a
+reasonable expectation of meeting again before the close of the day.
+
+If Somers was disgusted with the issue of the adventure, he did not yet
+despair of effecting his escape. This was all he had to live for at
+present; and he was determined not to lose sight of this great object of
+existence. Libby Prison was a flourishing institution, even at the time
+of which we write; and he was determined not to be sent there, if human
+energy and perseverance could save him from such a fate. It was easier to
+avoid such a trap than it would be to get out of it after he had fallen
+into it. As he walked along with the talkative sergeant, he kept his eyes
+open, ready to avail himself of any opportunity which might afford him a
+reasonable prospect of shaking off his disagreeable companion.
+
+His captor asked him a great many questions in regard to himself, and to
+the Army of the Potomac on the other side of the river, which Somers
+answered with skill and discretion; though we suppose that even a rigid
+moralist would have excused some slight variations from the strict letter
+of the truth which crept into his replies. He was an officer in the
+Yankee army; but he dared not acknowledge his rank, lest he should be
+accused of being a spy. If he was a captain, he ought to have worn the
+uniform of his rank in order to have it recognized. As he was a private,
+his chance of spending the summer on Belle Isle was better than that for
+Libby. But, as Somers was fully resolved not to go to Richmond in advance
+of the noble army whose fortunes and misfortunes he had shared, he did
+not deem it necessary to consider what quarters he should occupy.
+
+The sergeant was a faithful soldier. Somers found no opportunity to slip
+away from his guard on the way to the camp. He was duly delivered to the
+officer of the day, and his intimacy with his good-natured captor was at
+an end. The officer who was responsible for him made some inquiries in
+regard to the prisoner, and learned that he had escaped from the troopers
+in the morning. When he understood the case, as it was only eight miles
+to the railroad station, where the other prisoner was probably waiting a
+conveyance in the camp, he decided to send Somers forward at once,
+fearful that he might again take leave of his captors. From what he had
+heard from Captain Osborn and the cavalry soldiers in charge of him, he
+concluded that the young man was a person of more consequence than he
+appeared to be--that he was either high in rank, or guilty of enormous
+military misdemeanors.
+
+A two-horse wagon used for general business about the camp was brought
+up, and Somers was sent forward in charge of two soldiers, who were
+especially ordered to shoot him if he attempted to escape; which they
+would probably have done of their own free will and accord, without any
+orders. The captive looked in vain for an opportunity to elude the
+vigilance of the guard; they hardly took their eyes off him during the
+ride. Possibly they thought the young fellow was President Lincoln in
+disguise, and that the salvation of the Southern Confederacy depended
+upon his safe delivery into the hands of the provost-marshal at Richmond.
+
+The roads were very muddy from the recent rains, and it required two
+hours to accomplish the distance to the railroad station. On their
+arrival, Somers was handed over to another officer in charge of the camp
+at the station. Captain de Banyan had already been sent forward to
+Petersburg, and another train would not depart till evening. Somers was
+carefully guarded during the remainder of the day, and an attempt to get
+away would have been equivalent to committing suicide. At dark he was put
+into a baggage-car, with two soldiers to guard him; and in a short time
+reached the city of Petersburg. With several other unfortunate Union
+soldiers, he was placed in a small room in the station-house, to remain
+until a train should start for Richmond. Of course, they were carefully
+guarded; and Somers began to fear that he should, after all, be compelled
+to visit the rebel capital without the army.
+
+The room was on the second floor, with two windows opening into the
+street; but the prisoners were charged, on penalty of being shot, not to
+look out at them. There was not the ghost of a chance to operate under
+such unfavorable circumstances; and Somers gave up all thoughts of doing
+anything that night. Stretching himself on the floor, he tried to sleep;
+but his spirit was too great to permit him calmly to view the prospect of
+a rebel prison. As he lay on the floor, he ransacked his brain for some
+expedient which would save him from the horrors of Libby or Belle Isle.
+
+The best scheme that suggested itself was to leap from the cars on the
+way to Richmond. It involved the liability to a broken neck or a broken
+limb; but he determined to watch for an opportunity to execute this
+reckless purpose. His companions in bondage were worn out with long
+marches, and all of them slept on the floor around him in a few moments
+after they entered the room. They had asked him some questions; but he
+kept his own counsel, and endeavored to cheer their desponding spirits
+with the hope of being soon exchanged.
+
+At last Somers went to sleep himself, after he had heard a church clock
+in the city strike eleven. He had slept none on the preceding night, and
+his slumbers were as sound as if he had been in his attic-chamber in the
+cottage at Pinchbrook. Even the opening of the door, and the entrance of
+three men with a lantern, did not disturb him. One of the party was an
+officer. He wore a military cloak over the gray uniform of the
+Confederate army.
+
+"Which is the man?" demanded he in sharp tones of the two soldiers who
+accompanied him.
+
+"I don't know which he is now," replied the corporal of the guard.
+"What's his name?"
+
+"Tom Leathers," answered the officer.
+
+The corporal then passed round among the sleeping prisoners, and roughly
+kicked those who were asleep, including Somers, who sprang to his feet,
+and was rather disposed to make a "row" on account of this rude
+treatment, before he remembered where he was.
+
+"Now they are all awake," said the corporal when he had been the rounds.
+"Is there any such man as Tom Leathers here?"
+
+"Tom Leathers," repeated the officer in a loud tone.
+
+No one answered to the name; but, in a moment, Somers happened to think
+that this was the appellative which he had assumed when he was a pilot
+down on the creek by the James River. He was evidently the person
+intended; but he was in doubt whether to answer the summons. The
+antecedents of the young pilot of the James were not such as to entitle
+him to much consideration at the hands of the rebels; and he was disposed
+to deny his identity. While he was debating the question in his own mind,
+the corporal repeated the name.
+
+"There's no such man here," he added, turning to the officer.
+
+"He must be here. He came up in the night train."
+
+"He don't answer to his name."
+
+"Hold your lantern, and let me look these prisoners in the face."
+
+The corporal passed from one to another of the captives till he came to
+Somers; thrusting the lantern into the face of each, so that the officer
+could scan his features.
+
+"What's your name?" he asked, as the corporal placed the lantern before
+Somers.
+
+Not having made up his mind as to the effect of acknowledging his
+identity with the pilot, he made no reply.
+
+"That's the man," said the officer decidedly.
+
+"Is your name Tom Leathers?" added the corporal, as he made a
+demonstration with his bayonet at the prisoner.
+
+"Put down your musket, corporal; you needn't be a brute to your
+prisoners."
+
+"I only wanted to make him answer the question. If you give me leave,
+I'll find a tongue for him."
+
+"He is the man I want; bring him out," replied the officer.
+
+"Bring him out? I beg your pardon, sir; but I don't know who you are. I
+can't give up a prisoner without orders."
+
+The officer, who seemed to be suffering with a bad cold, and wore the
+collar of his cloak turned up so as to conceal the greater part of his
+face, opened the lower part of his garment, so that the corporal could
+see his uniform. At the same time he took from his pocket a paper, which
+he opened, and handed to the guard.
+
+"That's all right," said the latter, when he had read the document. "Of
+course, you will leave this with me?"
+
+"Certainly. Now bring out the man; and lose no time, for I am in a
+hurry."
+
+Somers was conducted from the room to the car-house below, where the
+officer asked for a soldier to guard the prisoner to the office of the
+provost-marshal, who was waiting for him. The corporal furnished the man;
+and the captive walked off between his two companions, bewildered by the
+sudden change which had taken place in the course of events. He could not
+imagine why he had been singled out from the rest of the prisoners in the
+station-house, unless some specific and more definite charge than being
+in arms against the great Southern Confederacy had been laid at his door.
+The most unpleasant thought that came to his mind was that Captain de
+Banyan had betrayed the object of his mission to the south side of the
+river. There was good evidence that his fellow-officer had come over as a
+spy; and the hope of saving his own life might have induced him to
+sacrifice even one who had been his best friend.
+
+It was not pleasant to think of Captain de Banyan as capable of doing so
+mean an act; for he had been regarded in the regiment as the soul of
+honor,--of worldly honor, which scorns to do a vile thing if public
+opinion has condemned it. But the astounding information which he had
+obtained among the rebels concerning his friend's antecedents had
+destroyed his confidence in him, and he was prepared for anything from
+him. In this light, his situation was almost hopeless; for the evidence
+would certainly condemn him before any court-martial in the Confederacy,
+and the chances of escape were lessened by his separation from his
+unfortunate companions in arms. He had probably been taken away from them
+to prevent even the possibility of exercising his talent in getting away,
+as he had done after his capture.
+
+They walked in silence along the gloomy and deserted streets; and Somers
+felt just as if he were marching to his execution. He knew that the rebel
+officers had a summary way of dealing with cases like his own; and he was
+prepared to be condemned, even before another sun rose to gladden him
+with his cheerful light. He thought of his mother, of his father, of the
+other members of the family, and of the blow it would be to them to learn
+that he had been hanged as a spy. He thought of Pinchbrook, of the happy
+days he had spent there, and of those who had been his true friends. He
+thought of Lilian Ashford, the beautiful one, in the remembrance of whose
+sweet smile he had reveled every day since they parted, and which he had
+hoped to enjoy again when war should no more desolate the land, and he
+should be proudly enrolled with the heroes who had saved the nation from
+ruin.
+
+All these pleasant memories, all these bright hopes, all these loving
+forms, though present in his heart, seemed dim and distant to him. He had
+nothing to hope for in the future on this side of the grave, nothing in
+the present but an ignominious death on the scaffold. Yet it was sweet to
+die for one's country; and, disgraceful as his end might be in its form,
+it was still in the service of the nation. He felt happy in the thought;
+and, if there was nothing more on earth to hope for, there was still a
+bright heaven beyond the deepest and darkest grave into which the hate of
+traitors could plunge him, where the ruptured ties of this life are again
+restored, never again to be subject to change and decay.
+
+There was a tear in his eye as he thought of his fond mother; and he wept
+for her when he could not weep for himself. No one saw that tear, and the
+officer permitted him to indulge his sad revery in silence. But, after
+they had walked two or three squares, his companion in authority suddenly
+stopped.
+
+"I have left a book, which I carried in my hand, at the depot," said he,
+in tones full of chagrin at his carelessness. "I must have it; for I can
+do nothing without it."
+
+"Where did you leave it?" asked the soldier.
+
+"In the guard-room. You may go back, and bring it to me. Give me your
+gun; you needn't carry that."
+
+"Where shall I find you?"
+
+"Here, where you leave me. Go quick, my man."
+
+"I won't be gone ten minutes," replied the soldier, as he started off at
+a run for the missing volume.
+
+The officer took the gun, and stood by the side of his prisoner, at the
+corner of the street, till the soldier disappeared in the darkness.
+Somers, still thinking of the sad fate which he was confident was in
+store for him, wished to confirm his impressions in regard to his
+destiny. His companion seemed to be a gentleman of a kindly nature,
+though stern in the discharge of his duty. It was possible that he would
+give him some information in regard to the probable disposal of him.
+
+"Will you tell me, sir, why I am separated from the rest of the
+prisoners?" said he, as soon as the sentinel had departed upon his
+errand.
+
+"Because you are an officer."
+
+"How do you know I am?" asked Somers, very desirous of ascertaining how
+much Captain de Banyan had told in regard to him.
+
+"We know all about you," answered the officer, muffling his cloak more
+closely around his face, as if afraid the night air might injure his
+lungs as he opened his mouth.
+
+"What do you know about me?"
+
+"All about you."
+
+"That isn't very definite."
+
+"In a word, you are Captain Thomas Somers, of the --th regiment."
+
+"Who told you that?"
+
+"That's of no consequence."
+
+"What is to be done with me?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"I suppose I am only a prisoner of war?"
+
+"You crossed the James River in disguise, and went into our lines for the
+purpose of obtaining information. I suppose you can put those two things
+together."
+
+Somers's worst fears were confirmed. He was to be tried as a spy, and De
+Banyan had told all he knew about him. Before he had time to dwell on the
+dark prospect any longer, the officer said he was cold, and could not
+stand there any longer. Taking his prisoner by the arm, he led him down
+the cross-street. Somers was just thinking of an attempt to bid his
+companion good-night, when the latter spoke again:
+
+"I shall catch my death from this night air," said he. "Just before the
+battle of Magenta----"
+
+"Captain de Banyan!" exclaimed Somers.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+A FRIEND INDEED
+
+
+"Hush, my dear boy! not a word!" said Captain de Banyan in an impressive
+whisper, as he led the way along the street.
+
+Somers made no reply; for he readily perceived that the utmost caution
+was necessary, though he did not understand the position of his friend,
+or what complications there were in the situation. He was filled with
+rejoicing at finding himself again in the way of getting back to the
+Union army. Of course, his feelings towards Captain de Banyan, in spite
+of his antecedents in the Third Tennessee, underwent a sudden and
+agreeable change; and in the joy of his heart he was disposed to embrace
+his friend, and beg forgiveness for the suspicions he had entertained of
+him.
+
+They had advanced but a short distance from the main street, when they
+heard the clatter of horses' hoofs.
+
+"That's bad," said Captain de Banyan, as he stopped to ascertain in what
+direction the horsemen were going.
+
+"What's bad?" demanded Somers.
+
+"My absence has been discovered, I am afraid. The provost-marshal has a
+section of cavalry to run down Union prisoners who may escape. I think
+they are after me; at any rate, we must be very careful where we go."
+
+A few moments later, a small party of horsemen dashed down the street by
+which the captain was conducting his retreat. It would prove fatal to
+their hopes, if they were seen; and Captain de Banyan entered the yard of
+a house, followed by his companion. There was a stable on the premises;
+and, without a special invitation from the owner, they entered, making
+their way to the hay-loft, which seemed to be the most promising place of
+concealment. A horse in the stall below whinnied when they reached the
+second floor, expecting, no doubt, his morning rations of hay.
+
+Unfortunately for the fugitives, still more unfortunately perhaps for the
+horse, there was very little hay in the loft; so that a secure
+hiding-place was not readily found. But, as it was no part of the
+captain's intention to remain long in this loft, they seated themselves
+on a grain chest, to wait till the troopers should pass the house.
+
+"What time is it, captain?" asked Somers.
+
+"About four in the morning. We are rather late. It will be daylight in
+about an hour."
+
+"Where have you been since we parted?"
+
+"Since we parted, my boy? We didn't part. You did all the parting,
+Somers," replied De Banyan in a reproachful tone.
+
+"I know I did; but, after what I had heard, you need scarcely wonder. You
+acknowledged that you had been a rebel officer, and a member of the Third
+Tennessee regiment."
+
+"I grant it; but I thought enough else was said to enable you to
+understand my position."
+
+"Well, I had some hopes that you were all right; but I could not banish
+my fears. How could I know that you had not been sent over on the other
+side for the same purpose that we crossed the James?"
+
+"You might have known it, my dear fellow. They don't usually send men
+over on such business whose loyalty is doubtful. You heard the captain
+say that I had been suspected."
+
+"I did; but I could not fully understand your position."
+
+"And so you gave me the slip? Well, Somers, I forgive you."
+
+"I am sure, if I had not been in doubt in regard to what you were, I
+would not have left you, even if I had been certain of hanging with you."
+
+"I know you wouldn't, my boy. I confess there were a great many dark
+things against me; but I assure you I am a loyal and true man. I have
+suffered more for the Union than you have; for I was born in the sunny
+South, and all my friends and neighbors went with the rebels. I had no
+alternative but to go into the army, where my experience in the Crimea,
+in Italy, and in Mexico, made me an officer. I escaped as soon as I
+could, and enrolled myself on the right side."
+
+Somers grasped the hand of his brave and devoted companion, which he
+pressed with a warmth that indicated his feelings more eloquently than
+words could have done. He was entirely satisfied with the explanation,
+because it was fully sustained by the conduct of the captain, and by the
+words of the rebel cavalry officer who had claimed his acquaintance. He
+was even disposed to believe that De Banyan had been a soldier in the
+European wars and in Mexico; which was a degree of credulity hardly to be
+expected of a sensible young man.
+
+"You will forgive me for my unjust suspicions, captain? I assure you it
+went against my grain to believe that you were a rebel."
+
+"You had good reason for it. I was more afraid of you, when I confessed
+my sins to the rebel officer, than I was of him. We are friends again,
+Somers; that's all I want."
+
+"You have proved yourself my friend by this last act; and I should have
+needed no further explanation to convince me that you were a loyal man."
+
+"I am all that, my dear boy."
+
+"Where have you been since I parted from you?"
+
+"I got up to Petersburg in the afternoon. I was put in that hole where I
+found you at first; but, when the provost-marshal learned my story, he
+sent for me, and I was conducted to his office. Just as I came out of the
+depot, you went in. He wanted to question me, he said. Well, I happened
+to know him, though he did not know me. I knew his weak point; and, in a
+word, I bamboozled him. I assured him I was an officer in the Third
+Tennessee, and that, on further inquiry, he would find I was all right;
+that I had rendered greater service to my country by going over to the
+Yankees than I could possibly have done by remaining with my regiment;
+which, you are willing to believe, was strictly true.
+
+"I asked the privilege of putting on my uniform again, which he granted;
+and, with the gold in my pocket, I purchased a full fit-out of the
+quartermaster. The provost-marshal told me that I must report at
+Richmond, which I promised to do; and, my dear boy, I hope I shall be
+able to do so at no distant day, though it doesn't look much like it just
+now. He gave me an apartment next to his office, for the night; where, of
+course, he expected to find me in the morning. In the night, I got up,
+and went into his office to transact a little business on my own account.
+
+"After I saw you at the depot, my dear fellow, I couldn't forget your sad
+look. You seemed to be as hopeless as a stray chicken in the wet grass,
+and I was trying to think what I could do for you. I couldn't have gone
+back to Harrison's Landing without you; it would have broken my heart.
+And what could I have said to the general, when he asked for you? How
+could I have made my peace with the officers of the regiment, if I had
+gone back without you?"
+
+"It was very kind of you, after the shabby manner in which I had treated
+you," added Somers.
+
+"That was the very reason why I was bound to help you out of the scrape,
+if I could. I wanted to set myself right with you. I wanted to convince
+you I wasn't the man you took me to be."
+
+"You have convinced me in the fullest manner; and I owe you a debt of
+gratitude which I shall never be able to pay."
+
+"Steady, my boy; we are not out of the scrape."
+
+"No matter whether we get out of the scrape or not, my feelings towards
+you will be just the same."
+
+"Thank you, Somers; I am satisfied."
+
+"But where did you get the pass you gave the corporal of the guard at the
+depot?" asked Somers.
+
+"I found the provost-marshal's signature on certain papers, one of which
+I filled out to suit myself. But there was a sentinel at the door of the
+office, put there, I suppose, for my benefit; though I was sorry to
+trouble the poor fellow to stand there on my account. My friend, the
+provost, had done this little act in the most delicate way in the world.
+He did not tell me that I was under guard; but I happened to find out
+before I put my foot in the trap.
+
+"In a word, not wishing to disturb the sentinel, I took the liberty of
+leaving by the way of the window of my chamber, instead of the door.
+Luckily there was a one-story shop next to the office; and with the aid
+of a blanket from my bed, I dropped down upon it, without disturbing the
+meditations of the sentinel or the slumbers of the provost. I got into
+the street, and went to the depot. There I told the corporal of the guard
+a very interesting story about the prisoner who had been brought up in
+the afternoon, meaning myself; and that the man I wanted was needed
+immediately as a witness. You know the rest, my dear fellow; and here we
+are."
+
+"And here we are likely to remain, I'm afraid," added Somers.
+
+"Not a bit of it. I haven't exhausted half my expedients yet. On the
+night before the attack on the Redan, at Sebastopol, I went all over that
+city, and spent the evening at the house of one of the most distinguished
+citizens--a gentleman who had a government contract for rations. Of
+course, he didn't know me."
+
+"Hush! There is some one coming into the stable below," said Somers, as
+he heard a door opened on the floor below.
+
+It was impossible to move then without making noise enough to excite the
+attention of the person who had entered; for the stable was old and
+rickety, and the boards creaked at every step they took. The fugitives
+listened with breathless interest to the movements of the unwelcome
+visitor. The horse whinnied again; and the person entered the stall, and
+spoke to him. The sound of his voice filled the occupants of the loft
+with consternation; for evidently the speaker was not a negro servant, as
+they had hoped and expected to find him, but a white man, and one who
+used the English language well.
+
+"Come, Jenny, there's a job on hand for us; and you must postpone your
+breakfast till we catch the Yankee prisoners," said the person, who, the
+fugitives were now satisfied, was an officer of the cavalry service.
+
+While De Banyan was telling his story, they had heard some noise at the
+house; and they now concluded that the party which had ridden up the
+street had come to call this officer for duty. They hoped that nothing
+would require him to pay a visit to the loft, and that, like a good
+officer, he would be as expeditious as possible in his preparations.
+
+"You are my prisoner, if he comes up-stairs," whispered De Banyan.
+
+Somers pressed the hand of his companion to assure him that he understood
+his plan; and they held their breath, in the intense anxiety of the
+moment, for further developments. The present seemed to be the turning
+point in the career of the adventurers; and, if they could once escape
+from the horns of this dilemma, skill and prudence would conduct them in
+safety to the Union lines.
+
+The officer below, after he had politely informed "Jenny" of the early
+movement, seemed to be in no hurry to get into the saddle. He went out at
+the door of the stable, and all was silent again, except the voice of
+Jenny, who seemed to be protesting against any movement before she had
+received her customary feed of corn.
+
+"Peters!" shouted the officer from the door, "hurry up! The Yankees will
+get to the James River before you get the saddle on my horse. Where have
+you been?"
+
+"I was looking for my boots."
+
+"An orderly ought to wear his boots to bed with him, if he can't put them
+where he can find them," replied the officer, as the heavy step of
+another man was heard in the stable below.
+
+"What news did you hear?" asked the officer, as the orderly led the horse
+from the stall.
+
+"The sergeant said some officer that had been took as a deserter done
+runned away," replied Peters, as the fugitives heard the rattle of the
+saddle-gear.
+
+"Hurry up, then!"
+
+"He done took a Yankee prisoner from the depot with him," added Peters,
+who, if he had not been called an orderly, the listeners would have taken
+for a negro.
+
+"You may take a peck of corn in a bag for Jenny, Peters. We may have a
+long ride of it," added the officer, as he left the stable.
+
+A peck of corn! De Banyan and Somers were sitting on the grain chest! It
+was impossible to avoid discovery; and De Banyan threw off his cloak,
+ready for the emergency.
+
+"Somers, my boy, we must change our tactics. They have heard the whole
+story, and we can't blind them. We must make the best of it. Have you a
+pistol?" whispered the captain.
+
+"No; all I had was taken from me," replied Somers.
+
+"I have only one. No matter; it would never do to fire up here," added De
+Banyan, as he picked up a short pitch-fork which lay near him.
+
+"Are you going to kill him?" asked Somers.
+
+"It's life or death for you and me! We can't stop for trifles," answered
+the captain in hurried tones, but still in a whisper.
+
+They listened for a moment longer to the quick movements of Peters in the
+stable below. It was evident that Jenny was duly caparisoned for service;
+and then another horse was led out, which belonged to the orderly. He was
+prepared for service in less time than Jenny had required; and, a moment
+later, the step of Peters was heard on the stairs. With the bag in his
+hand, he was coming up for the corn, as he had been ordered by the
+officer. He did not see the fugitives till he had reached the last step;
+when, as he was on the point of opening his mouth to speak, De Banyan
+leveled a blow at his head with the handle of the pitch-fork, which
+felled him to the floor.
+
+He sank down upon the stairs stunned or dead; and the captain, as though
+he had carefully matured his plan beforehand, dragged the body to one
+corner of the loft, where he covered it with hay.
+
+"Not a word, Somers," said he in an excited whisper, as he crouched down
+behind the grain chest.
+
+"Are you going to stay here?" demanded Somers, astonished at this
+singular disposition of the forces.
+
+"Hush--the officer is close by."
+
+With beating heart, Somers waited for the further action of his resolute
+companion. It was the most critical period of his life, it seemed to him,
+especially as he did not fully comprehend the purpose of De Banyan. Only
+a moment elapsed, but it was long enough to be a week, before the owner
+of Jenny returned to the stable.
+
+"Peters! What are you about?" shouted he angrily. "I shall never get off
+at this rate. Peters!"
+
+Peters was not in condition to answer the summons at that moment. Somers
+hoped he was not dead; but he might as well have been dead, so far as
+speaking was concerned.
+
+"Peters!" shouted the officer again, with a string of Southern
+Confederacy oaths; "where are you? What are you about?"
+
+Of course, the orderly could not answer; and his silence only added to
+the rage of his master, who continued to swear in a manner which must
+have disgusted the gentle Jenny, and the other respectable horse standing
+on the stable-floor.
+
+The officer rushed out of the stable, and the heaviness of his step
+indicated the state of his mind. He had gone to look for Peters; but, as
+Peters was not outside, he must be inside; and the officer entered again.
+He now walked towards the stairs leading to the loft.
+
+"Peters!" he continued to roar as he rushed up the stairs. "Peters! this
+is your last day's service with me!"
+
+But the poor orderly was unable to remove the stain which rested upon his
+fidelity. He still held his peace; still silently submitted to the unjust
+imputations on his character. The officer landed in the loft just as
+Captain de Banyan rose to receive him.
+
+"Who are you?" demanded he, as the stout form of the captain confronted
+him.
+
+"Your most obedient servant to command," replied De Banyan.
+
+"You are a Confederate officer?"
+
+"I seem to be; but I am not. Be that as it may, your presence is
+dangerous to my health and comfort."
+
+"I see: you are the deserter."
+
+"I am; but the future lies between you and me."
+
+"Then we will let the future speak for itself," answered the officer,
+drawing a pistol from his belt. "Surrender, or you are a dead man!"
+
+"I must positively decline the honor," replied De Banyan, as he swung the
+pitch-fork over his head, and attempted to strike him down.
+
+He failed; and the officer fired, but without effect. At that moment,
+Somers stepped forward with a billet of wood he found on the floor. At
+the same time, De Banyan raised the pistol; but the rebel fired a second
+time before he could discharge it. Somers instantly dropped his stick,
+and his left arm fell to his side; the ball had passed through it. De
+Banyan fired; the officer sank down, not killed, but badly wounded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+DR. SCOVILLE'S PATIENT
+
+
+The ball from De Banyan's pistol had passed through the right side of the
+officer; and he sank upon the floor, the blood flowing copiously from the
+wound. These proceedings were so irregular, that Somers could not
+reconcile himself to them. He was wounded himself; but, when the officer
+fell, he was full of sympathy for him. It was evident that the sufferer
+would bleed to death in a short time, if left to himself without any
+attention; and Somers could not endure the thought of letting even an
+enemy die in this forsaken condition.
+
+"Come, my boy; we have no time to lose. It's daylight now, and we ought
+to be five miles from the city before this time," said De Banyan, as he
+moved towards the stairs. "Take the man's pistol and ammunition, and come
+along as fast as you can."
+
+"Will you leave this gentleman in this condition?" asked Somers, gazing
+with pitying tenderness at the pale face of the fallen officer.
+
+"Leave him? Of course; we can't take him with us."
+
+"But he will bleed to death if we leave him here."
+
+"Let him bleed to death; I can't help that. Many a better man than he has
+bled to death since this war began. Come along, Somers! What is the
+matter with your arm?" demanded he, when he saw that it hung useless at
+his side.
+
+"I was hit."
+
+"Hit! We are lost, then!"
+
+"No, we are not lost, either. I am not killed," replied Somers, whose arm
+was still numb from the effect of the shot.
+
+"That's a misfortune. I am afraid it will spoil everything. Can you sit
+on a horse?"
+
+"Of course I can. But I can't bear to let this man die here alone. He is
+a brave fellow, and deserves a better fate."
+
+"Come along, Somers! You are an odd stick, when you are wounded, to
+trouble yourself about your enemies. Let me see your arm."
+
+The captain examined the wounded member, which was now bleeding very
+freely. He tied a handkerchief around the arm, and did the best which the
+circumstances would admit for his friend. He then led the way
+down-stairs, where the horses were impatiently waiting for their riders.
+Jenny was a noble mare, and the orderly's horse was an excellent animal.
+De Banyan, knowing how much might depend upon the endurance of the horses
+in the flight before them, filled the bag with corn in the loft, after he
+had helped Somers to mount the horse of Peters, which appeared to be the
+steadier beast of the two.
+
+The noise of the affray in the loft had probably been heard by some of
+the occupants of the house; and, just as the fugitives had mounted the
+horses, a black woman from the dwelling approached the stable. She gazed
+with astonishment and alarm at the riders, and seemed to be satisfied
+that all was not right.
+
+"Your master is up in the loft," said Somers, as they rode by her. "He is
+hurt, and wants attention."
+
+"Now whip up, Somers. We must make quick time; for we shall have the
+whole city after us in ten minutes," said De Banyan, as he urged Jenny to
+the top of her speed.
+
+The spirited animal seemed as willing to exert herself for the enemies as
+the friends of the Southern Confederacy; thus proving that she was a
+neutral horse, or cherished Union sentiments. But the other horse could
+not keep pace with her, and De Banyan was compelled to restrain her
+speed. The fugitives had scarcely appeared in the street before a hue and
+cry was raised; for the place had been thoroughly aroused by the clamor
+which the troopers had created. Still, there was nothing in sight which
+promised to offer any serious resistance to their progress.
+
+A few moments brought them to the outskirts of the town; though in what
+direction, or to what point, the road they had taken would lead them,
+neither De Banyan nor Somers had the most remote idea. To go in the wrong
+direction was equivalent to plunging into certain ruin; to go in any
+direction was hardly less perilous; for the rebel cavalry was out upon
+every road, intent upon capturing the deserter and the Yankee. As they
+emerged from the more thickly settled parts of the city, they discovered
+a negro approaching them.
+
+"Where does this road lead to?" demanded De Banyan, reining in his fiery
+steed.
+
+"Prince George's Court House, massa," replied the man. "Wha' for you
+gwine down dar?"
+
+De Banyan was not disposed to answer any unnecessary questions, and again
+spurred on his horse.
+
+"See here, massa!" shouted the negro.
+
+"What do you want?" asked De Banyan impatiently; for, being a Southerner
+himself, he had no particular respect for the negro race.
+
+"Don't go down dar, massa."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Git cotched if you do, massa," said the man with an expressive grin. "De
+sodgers on de horses is down dar arter you."
+
+"How do you know they are after us, you black rascal?"
+
+"Kase dey ax dis chile if he see two men, one ob 'em dressed like de
+'federate ossifer, and de odder a Yank. Dis nigger didn't see no sich
+pussons den; but, golly, sees um now fur sartin. You done git cotched as
+shore as you was born, massa, if you go down dar."
+
+"Where shall we go, then?"
+
+"Dunno, massa; but you mustn't be seen gwine down dar."
+
+"How many soldiers did you meet?"
+
+"Four, sar."
+
+"This won't do, Somers. How is your arm?"
+
+"It begins to ache. We may as well go forward as back," said Somers, who
+was now suffering severely from his wound, which had not been improved by
+the hard gallop of the horse he rode.
+
+"Who lives in that house?" demanded De Banyan of the negro, pointing to a
+splendid dwelling a short distance ahead.
+
+"Dr. Scoville, massa."
+
+"Doctor?" replied the captain, glancing at Somers.
+
+"Yes, sar; Dr. Scoville. Dat's a mighty fine mar you rides, massa. I
+reckon dat's Captain Sheffield's mar."
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"Don't mind me, massa; dis chile's a Union man for shore," grinned the
+negro.
+
+"All the negroes are Union men," replied Somers faintly.
+
+"Dat's so, massa!"
+
+"What's Dr. Scoville?" asked De Banyan hopefully.
+
+"Secesh, massa--drefful secesh. He done been in de army fur a surgeon."
+
+"He is a dangerous man, then."
+
+"Dar, massa, dar!" shouted the negro suddenly, as he pointed down the
+road over which the fugitives had just come. "Dey's some more arter you."
+
+De Banyan started his horse again, followed by Somers; but it was evident
+from the appearance of the latter that the chase was nearly finished for
+him. He was beginning to feel very faint from the loss of blood, while
+the pain of his wounded arm was almost unsupportable. The gait of the
+horse seemed to wrench the bones asunder, and cause the shattered parts
+to grate against each other.
+
+"Hurry up, Somers, my dear boy," said his companion, as he glanced back
+at the pale face of his friend.
+
+"I am afraid I can't go much farther, De Banyan," replied Somers. "I am
+very faint. I feel sick."
+
+"Cheer up, and make one effort more. The rebels are upon us!"
+
+"I cannot. I shall fall from the horse, I am afraid."
+
+"Don't do that."
+
+"I won't if I can help it; but the motion of the horse almost kills me.
+Leave me, De Banyan; save yourself if you can."
+
+"Leave you? I haven't the remotest idea of doing anything of the sort."
+
+"Better go on, and save yourself. It is all up with me."
+
+"A mother would sooner leave her baby than I would leave you," replied De
+Banyan in tones as tender as a woman's. "I'll never leave you, Somers. If
+you go to Richmond, I shall go with you."
+
+"You cannot do me any good. Save yourself before it is too late."
+
+"Not I."
+
+"I beg you----"
+
+"Cease your blarney, my dear boy! We are one flesh; and we will hang
+together to the end of life, or _at_ the end of it, as the case may be.
+Here, Somers, stick to your horse a moment more, and we will call and see
+the doctor."
+
+"Dr. Scoville!" exclaimed Somers, alarmed at the idea.
+
+"Very likely he is a good surgeon. You are on the sick-list now; mind
+what I say, and do just what I tell you."
+
+De Banyan, without stating what he intended to do, dashed up the roadway
+leading to Dr. Scoville's house. It was evident that he was about to
+resort to some desperate expedient to retrieve the shattered fortunes of
+his party; but he kept his own counsel; and Somers yielded himself to the
+master will of his companion like a child, as indeed he was in his
+exhausted and suffering condition. The roadway led to the rear of the
+house where the stable was located; and De Banyan reined up his foaming
+steed as soon as he reached the corner of the building.
+
+"Keep still a moment, Somers, and I'll have you taken care of," said De
+Banyan, as he rode back to a point where he could see the road without
+being seen.
+
+It was evident that they had been observed by the party of horsemen which
+had just come out of the city; and he wished to ascertain whether they
+had seen him turn in at the doctor's premises. The pursuers (for every
+mounted man was a pursuer on that eventful morning) were riding in every
+direction in search of the fugitives. He hoped they would pass by,
+satisfied that any person who should boldly call upon Dr. Scoville must
+be a rebel.
+
+He was disappointed. When the party reached the road, they reined up
+their horses; and De Banyan, without losing a moment, dismounted,
+fastened Jenny to a post in the yard, and ran down to intercept the
+troopers. The captain walked with the quick, sharp, consequential tramp
+of a military commander; and, when the soldiers saw him, they
+involuntarily saluted him.
+
+"What are you doing up here?" he demanded in tones of authority.
+
+"We are looking for the prisoners that runned away," replied a corporal.
+
+"Well, do you expect to find them in the dwelling-house of Dr. Scoville?
+Ride down the road as fast as you can, and turn to the first left. If you
+meet the major, report Captain Sheffield badly wounded--shot by one of
+the prisoners."
+
+"Then the prisoners have gone down this way?"
+
+"Certainly they have. Off with you as fast as you can!"
+
+The corporal saluted, wheeled his horse, and dashed off, followed by the
+rest of the party. De Banyan wiped away the cold sweat from his brow, and
+returned to his suffering companion. He helped him to dismount and seated
+him on a block while he secured the horse. By this time, a couple of
+negro women came out of the house. They were the early risers of the
+family, and at once manifested the most abundant sympathy for the
+sufferer. The doors of the house were thrown wide open to him; and
+Captain de Banyan, supporting Somers, followed the servants into the
+sitting-room, where the patient was laid upon the sofa in a fainting
+condition.
+
+"Now call your master," said De Banyan, with as much assurance as though
+he had been the lord of the manor.
+
+"Yes, massa," replied one of the women as she hastened to obey the order.
+
+"How do you feel, my dear boy?" said De Banyan, bending over his charge.
+
+But Somers was past answering. He had fainted from loss of blood and the
+agony of his wound. The resolute captain did not wait for Dr. Scoville in
+this emergency; but, taking a bottle of cologne from the mantel, he
+applied himself with skill and vigor to the restoration of his patient.
+While he was thus engaged, the doctor made his appearance. He was a man
+of fifty, of forbidding aspect and rough exterior.
+
+"Who are you, sir?" demanded he in brusk tones, placing himself in front
+of the captain, and without bestowing more than a glance at the patient
+on the sofa.
+
+"Captain Sheffield," replied De Banyan as sharply as the question had
+been put.
+
+"Are you, indeed? Then you have altered a great deal since I saw you
+yesterday," added Dr. Scoville, with an expression of malignant triumph
+on his face.
+
+This reply was a damper on any little scheme which the over-confident De
+Banyan had proposed to carry out; but the captain was a profound student
+in the mysteries of human nature, and at once correctly read the
+character of the gentleman who stood before him.
+
+"You didn't see me yesterday, and you know you didn't," he replied in
+tones hardly less savage than those of his involuntary host.
+
+"That's very true; I did not," said the doctor.
+
+"This point settled, I'll thank you to turn to the next one, which is the
+patient before you."
+
+"You are a plain-spoken man," added Dr. Scoville, still gazing intently
+into the face of the captain; who, however, returned the look as
+resolutely and as earnestly as it was given.
+
+"I am; I don't waste words when my friend is dying, for aught I know.
+Will you attend to this man?"
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"He is a man shot through the arm, and needing instant surgical
+attendance," answered De Banyan impatiently. "It isn't necessary to know
+any more before you examine him."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the doctor with a smile such as that in which a hyena
+might be supposed to indulge when pleased, if hyenas ever are pleased.
+
+He turned to Somers, and proceeded to examine into his condition. The
+coat of the patient was removed from his insensible form, and he was
+carefully disposed on the sofa, according to the directions of the
+doctor; the captain and the negro women assisting in the work. Though the
+surgeon was as rough as a bear in his tone and manner, he was as tender
+as a loving mother in his treatment of the sufferer, and handled him as
+carefully as though he had been a new-born babe. The blood was stanched,
+and the wound dressed as skilfully as human hands and human knowledge
+could perform the operation.
+
+"What do you think of him?" asked De Banyan, full of anxiety for his
+suffering companion.
+
+"He won't die just yet; but he may lose his arm."
+
+"Good heavens! do you think so?" exclaimed the captain.
+
+"No; I don't think so."
+
+"What did you say so for, then?"
+
+"I didn't say so."
+
+"Didn't you say he would lose his arm?" demanded De Banyan savagely.
+
+"I didn't say so."
+
+"What did you say, then?"
+
+"I said he might lose his arm. You may lose your arm; but I think you are
+more likely to lose your head. Who is this young man?"
+
+"He is a friend of mine; and, as I find it necessary to be entirely
+candid with an old fellow like you, I shall answer no questions in regard
+to him at present."
+
+"Indeed!"
+
+"Not a question, Dr. Scoville. I intend to have him stay at your house
+till he is able to join his regiment; and I intend to stay with him."
+
+"You do me unmerited honor by making my humble house your home," said the
+doctor satirically.
+
+"I think you are worthy of the honor, Dr. Scoville. As your humble house,
+I think it is very well got up, creditable to your taste, and altogether
+a fine place."
+
+"Thank you," growled the host. "I suppose you have no objection to my
+informing the Confederate States military officers in the city of your
+presence here?"
+
+"Not the slightest," answered De Banyan promptly. "I propose to inform
+them myself in due time."
+
+"What did you say your name was?"
+
+"Captain Sheffield."
+
+"Of Petersburg?"
+
+"No, sir."
+
+"Not of Petersburg?"
+
+"No, sir; of Nashville, Tennessee, which I can further inform you is the
+capital of the State. I have the honor to be a captain in the Third
+Tennessee. I served in Mexico, in the Crimea, and in Italy. I was present
+at four battles in the Crimea, seven in Italy, five in Mexico; I have
+been engaged in nine battles of the present war, and have been wounded
+six times."
+
+"Were you ever killed?"
+
+"Never was so unfortunate. Can I furnish you with any further
+information?"
+
+"No more at present," replied the doctor, compressing his lips,
+apparently to keep from laughing, but really because he could not think
+of anything sharp enough to dash so ready a talker. "If you do me the
+honor to remain here a week, I shall have better opportunities of hearing
+your marvelous experience, Captain Sheffield. Ah, what have we here?"
+continued he as three horsemen galloped up the roadway.
+
+A violent knocking was presently heard at the side door of the house, and
+Dr. Scoville hastened to learn the errand of the excited visitors.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+DE BANYAN AT WORK
+
+
+"How do you feel, my dear boy?" asked Captain de Banyan as soon as the
+doctor had left the room.
+
+Somers, by the skilful applications of the physician, had been restored
+to consciousness, and had listened with astonishment, not unmingled with
+alarm, to the last part of the conversation between his friend and their
+host.
+
+"I feel a little better, captain; at any rate, I am more comfortable,"
+replied Somers.
+
+"I am glad to hear it. I have been terribly worried about you."
+
+"I think I shall do well enough. But what shall I say for myself?"
+
+"Say nothing, Somers--not a word. Don't commit yourself to anything."
+
+"What have you told him?"
+
+"Nothing; and I don't intend to tell him anything. He is a jolly old
+fellow, who thinks he is very eccentric, and takes pride in being
+considered so. When I was in the Crimea----"
+
+"Never mind the Crimea now," interrupted Somers with a languid smile.
+
+"I was only going to say that I understand the old doctor first-rate, and
+can manage him as easily as I could an old plow-horse. Keep still,
+Somers; don't let on, under any circumstances. Leave me to do all the
+talking."
+
+"But the cavalry are after us now."
+
+"Never mind; the doctor will take care of them."
+
+"They will recognize our horses, if they don't know us."
+
+"No matter if they do."
+
+Somers thought it was matter; and he could not see for the life of him
+how De Banyan was to get out of such a scrape as this; for it was an
+infinitely worse one than his own experience on the Williamsburg road. He
+could only hope for the best, expecting nothing but disaster.
+
+"Good! Bully for the doctor!" exclaimed De Banyan as the sounds of an
+excited controversy at the side door reached the ears of the patient and
+his friend. "He is doing just what I expected him to do."
+
+"Pray, what did you expect him to do?" asked Somers, who could not see
+what a rebel surgeon could be expected to do under the circumstances,
+besides delivering them up to the military authorities.
+
+"I expect him to protect us to the utmost of his ability; and, in my
+opinion, he has quite as much influence as any other man in Petersburg.
+When you see a man like Dr. Scoville, you may depend upon it he is a
+power in the community where he lives. He knows it as well as any other
+person. Let the doctor alone, and he will manage the matter as skilfully
+as he dressed your wounded arm."
+
+Whatever confidence Captain de Banyan had in the will and the ability of
+Dr. Scoville to protect them, he was curious to hear what the soldiers
+and what the doctor had to say. He was not quite willing to be seen by
+the rebel soldiers; so he passed quickly into the entry, and took a
+position where he could hear without being observed.
+
+"Do you know who I am, you villain?" demanded the doctor, in tones so
+full of rage, that the troopers ought to have been annihilated, though it
+appears that they were not.
+
+"I don't care who you are; I want the men that came here an hour ago,"
+replied one of the troopers.
+
+"If Jeff Davis himself came for them, he couldn't have them!" roared Dr.
+Scoville.
+
+"I tell you, sir, one of them is a deserter, and the other is a Yankee."
+
+"I don't care what they are. Report my answer to the provost-marshal;
+tell him Dr. Scoville will be responsible for the safety of the men."
+
+"I won't report any such answer to him."
+
+"If a man of you attempts to enter my house, I'll shoot him!" replied the
+doctor, taking a rifle from a nail in the entry.
+
+"Very well, sir; if you can shoot any better than we can, you may begin,"
+said the soldier. "But, as sure as you fire, you are a dead man."
+
+"And those of you whom I don't shoot will be hung as soon as you report
+the death of Dr. Scoville at headquarters."
+
+Whatever the soldiers thought, they were not willing to assume the
+responsibility of shooting a man like the doctor, whose splendid mansion
+was a guaranty of his wealth and high standing, and whose strong words
+assured them that he was a man of influence. Even the possibility of
+being hanged in such a cause was not agreeable to contemplate; and the
+doctor carried the day against his assailants.
+
+"I don't want to shoot you, Dr. Scoville; but I shall put a guard over
+your house, and wait for further orders," said the soldier, who appeared
+to be a sergeant.
+
+"Do anything you please; but don't you enter my house. Every man, woman
+and child here is under my protection," replied the doctor, as he
+restored the rifle to its original position; and the troopers retired
+from the door.
+
+Captain de Banyan withdrew from the hall, and joined Somers in the
+sitting-room, where he was immediately followed by the doctor. The
+situation did not look very hopeful, even to a man of such desperate
+fortunes as the bold Tennessean. The house was surrounded by rebel
+soldiers, and a report of the case would probably be made to the
+provost-marshal; therefore it was not at all likely that the doughty
+doctor could long remain contumacious.
+
+"So, my mysterious friend, you are a Confederate deserter, are you?" said
+the doctor, as he placed himself in front of the captain, thrust his
+hands deep down into the pockets of his pants, and stared at his guest
+with all the vigor of an active and piercing eye.
+
+"You say that I am; but I adhere to my original resolution, to say
+nothing at present," replied De Banyan, returning the gaze of the doctor
+as earnestly as it was given.
+
+"If you were Abe Lincoln himself, you are safe in my house," said the
+doctor after a long pause. "But I wish you to understand clearly and
+precisely what I mean. I am not the man to shield a deserter or a Yankee
+from the penalty due to his crimes. You came into my house with a wounded
+man. I am an Arab on the subject of hospitality. Whoever comes into my
+house is my guest; and I never betrayed a man who trusted in me."
+
+"Thank you, doctor."
+
+"You needn't thank me, for I despise you from the deepest depths of my
+heart; and in due time you will fall into the hands of the military
+authorities, but not in my house."
+
+"Thank you, Dr. Scoville. I appreciate your hospitality, and despise you
+as much as you do me," answered De Banyan.
+
+"Despise me! How dare you----"
+
+"Oh! I dare do anything; and I beg leave to inform you that neither
+myself nor my friend will fall into the hands of the soldiers, either in
+your house or outside of it. You can set your mind entirely at ease on
+that subject."
+
+"I am tempted for once to violate even my own law of hospitality."
+
+"As you please, doctor; that matter is for you to consider, not for me.
+But I beg you to understand precisely what I say. I am very thankful to
+you for your kindness; and I assure you that whatever you do and say, I
+shall remember your hospitality with the most grateful emotions. I speak
+for myself and for my friend."
+
+Dr. Scoville seemed to be very much perplexed, as the captain evidently
+intended he should be; and, turning abruptly from the deserter, he paced
+the room, rapidly and in silence, for several minutes. De Banyan sat down
+by the side of Somers, and said a great many comforting things to him,
+which, in his weak and suffering condition, were as grateful as a woman's
+smile at the couch of pain.
+
+Breakfast was ready, and with the utmost politeness the doctor conducted
+his guest to the table, while one of the black women was ordered to
+supply the wants of the patient on the sofa. During the meal, not a word
+was said about the war, or the peculiar circumstances under which the
+patient and his friend had come to the house. The captain discoursed
+about the wars in other lands, and it is more than probable that he
+exercised the credulity of the doctor to the utmost. Both the host and
+the guest were affable to the last degree; for the choleric physician was
+conscious that he had more than a match in the other.
+
+After breakfast, Somers was conducted to the guest-chamber on the second
+floor of the mansion. He was as tenderly cared for by the doctor and the
+servants as though he had been an honored friend, instead of a hunted
+enemy. In the course of the forenoon, Dr. Scoville received a visit from
+the provost-marshal, attended by half a company of cavalry. Of course,
+the captain was exceedingly curious to know the result of this interview,
+which was conducted in the most courteous manner; and he was so impolite
+as to play the part of a listener. The officer was informed that Captain
+Sheffield had been dangerously wounded by the fugitives; but the
+eccentric physician positively refused to have his guests taken from his
+house, assuring the provost-marshal that he would be responsible for
+their safe-keeping, and offered to board a dozen men who should be
+employed in guarding them. The officer protested in gentlemanly terms
+against such a course; but it was evident that the doctor was the
+greatest man in Petersburg, and must have his own way.
+
+The result of the conference was, that the provost-marshal yielded the
+point, and a sentinel was placed at the door of Somers's chamber, to
+which the captain had retreated. The officer visited the room, and fully
+identified his prisoner, between whom and himself a sharp conversation
+ensued, much to the amusement of the doctor. The captain was assured that
+in due time, he should swing, which pleasant information he received with
+becoming good nature, promising to be present when the exciting event
+should take place. The provost-marshal retired, satisfied with the
+precautions he had taken.
+
+For the following three days, the sentinel at the door, with a loaded
+musket in his hand, kept guard over his prisoners. Somers had improved
+rapidly, though by the advice of his managing friend, he pretended to be
+much worse than he really was. Dr. Scoville, though he still kept his
+word and maintained his position with regard to the prisoners,
+continually "thorned" the captain with a prospect of the gallows, which
+he declared was his certain doom. De Banyan still preserved his
+equanimity, and still declared that he should never be hanged.
+
+"What do you intend to do?" asked Somers on the third day of his
+confinement, after the doctor had taunted his guest with more than usual
+severity.
+
+"I haven't the least idea, my dear boy," replied the captain with a grim
+smile. "So far, I have no plans. When you are able to move, Somers, we
+will see what can be done."
+
+"I can move now; you need not delay a single hour on my account. I am all
+right but my arm."
+
+De Banyan was by no means as cheerful as he appeared to be. He was
+troubled, and paced the room with uneasy tread; but, the moment the
+doctor entered the room, he was as gay as a Broadway beau. Somers had
+vainly attempted to persuade him to make his own escape, and leave him to
+his fate; but the brave fellow steadily refused to desert him under any
+circumstances that could possibly present themselves.
+
+The captain was remarkably still for him, after Somers had convinced him
+that he was able to move. He paced the room as before; but his eyes were
+glancing uneasily at the floor, the ceiling, and the walls of the
+apartment. The work had commenced in his mind; and Somers watched his
+movements with interest, yet without hope. On one side of the fire-place
+in the room there was a door, which was locked, but which evidently
+opened into a closet.
+
+Before this door, De Banyan suddenly came to a dead halt. He examined it
+with the utmost care; and then with a fork from the breakfast things
+which had not been removed, he commenced operations upon the lock. One of
+the prongs of the fork was broken off between two bricks in the
+fire-place, and the other bent; so that the instrument formed a very good
+pick-lock. The door was opened without the expenditure of much time or
+patience; and the captain proceeded to explore the interior of the
+closet, after instructing his fellow-prisoner to give him timely warning
+of any movement on the part of the sentinel.
+
+Somers did not see the captain again for half an hour, but when he came
+out he looked as though he had endured the tortures of a month of
+suspense; but, with a ghastly smile, he told his companion that the hour
+for action had come.
+
+"What do you mean, captain?" demanded Somers.
+
+"Let us use haste; we shall have more time to talk to-morrow, when we get
+back to the camp on the other side of the James River. Are you very sure
+that you can stand the fatigue of a long walk?"
+
+"I know I can."
+
+"Then come with me; but a particle of noise will be fatal to us."
+
+De Banyan led the way to the closet; but, before he entered himself, he
+tied together the two sheets of the bed, and made one end fast to one of
+the bed-posts, near a window at the end of the house, which he opened
+without noise. Dropping the sheet out, he retreated to the closet, and
+with the pick-lock secured the door. They were in darkness now, and
+seating themselves on the floor, with palpitating hearts they waited the
+issue. For more than an hour they waited the expected alarm. They could
+occasionally hear a movement on the part of the sentinel in the entry;
+but he probably thought it was foolish to be very vigilant over a man so
+sick as Somers. But the demonstration came at last; and the prisoners,
+sweltering in the confined air of the closet, listened with breathless
+interest to the shouts of the soldiers outside, and to the rapid steps of
+those within the mansion.
+
+The doctor and the sentinel entered the chamber so lately occupied by the
+prisoners. The former swore in no measured terms at the faithlessness of
+the sentry at the door, and at the stupidity of those who guarded the
+house outside. But they seemed to have no doubt as to the manner of the
+escape.
+
+There was the open window, and the rope made of the bed-linen, which De
+Banyan had pulled with his hands till it had the appearance of having
+sustained a great weight. Dr. Scoville did not even try the door of the
+closet; and the anxious listeners soon had the pleasure of hearing the
+sounds of horses' hoofs, as the cavalry rode off to engage in the search
+for the fugitives.
+
+Everything about the house soon subsided into the most profound quiet,
+and it was evident that the doctor and all the soldiers were engaged in
+the search. After this solemn stillness had continued for a time, they
+heard the voices of the servants in the chamber. They talked about the
+escape, and all of them expressed a hope that "poor young massa would get
+out ob de way." Here was an opportunity for an alliance, offensive and
+defensive, which the prudent captain could not reject. Carefully opening
+the door, he presented himself to the astonished negroes. With
+considerable difficulty, he hushed their noisy exclamations, and opened
+the case so eloquently, that all three of them readily promised to help
+the fugitives in making their escape. They grinned with delight when they
+comprehended the trick by which the doctor and the soldiers had been put
+on the wrong scent.
+
+With their assistance, the fugitives left the house, and made their way
+to the stable, where Alick, the man who had waited upon them in the room,
+raised a plank in the floor, and introduced them to secure but not very
+comfortable quarters under the building. There was no cellar under the
+stable, and the space which they occupied was not more than two feet in
+height; but what it lacked in this direction, it made up in length and
+width.
+
+When the fugitives were fairly installed in their new hiding-place, Alick
+sat down on the floor, and told them all he knew about the events which
+had transpired since their absence had been discovered. He brought them
+an abundant supply of food and drink, and promised to provide them with
+horses as soon as it was dark. It was nearly night before the doctor
+returned; and while attending to his horse, Alick asked him some
+questions about the chase. He was not very communicative, for, of course,
+the pursuit had been unsuccessful; but the ingenious black wormed some
+facts out of him in regard to the events of the day, which enabled him to
+be of great assistance to the fugitives.
+
+The doctor had hardly gone into the house before Alick commenced his
+preparations for departure; and three horses instead of two were in
+readiness when Somers and the captain emerged from their covert. Alick
+was to be one of the party; and by the fields in the rear of the house
+they commenced their perilous journey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+ANOTHER COMMISSION
+
+
+The horses which De Banyan and Somers rode were those taken from the
+stable of Captain Sheffield, which had not yet been removed from Dr.
+Scoville's stable; while that on which Alick was mounted was one of the
+best of his master's stock. The party proceeded through the fields for a
+short distance till they came to a cross-road, when they put their horses
+to the top of their speed. The guide was familiar with all the roads in
+the vicinity. The information which he had obtained from the doctor was
+exceedingly valuable; for it assured the fugitives in what direction the
+search for them had been pushed.
+
+Dr. Scoville believed that the prisoners were concealed in the vicinity
+of the city, and that at night they would attempt to make their way in
+the direction of City Point; and he assured Alick that they would
+certainly be caught before morning, for the country in that region was
+strongly picketed by cavalry. It is more than probable they would have
+been taken if the doctor had not been so obliging as to inform Alick of
+these facts. The faithful black, who had served his master, man and boy,
+for forty years, was entitled to this consideration. Of course, he could
+not have believed that Alick would be so ungrateful and ungenerous as to
+run away from him; but it is a fact which speaks well for the negro race,
+that so many have preferred liberty with toil and hardship to slavery
+with ease and plenty.
+
+Somers had over-estimated his power of endurance; and a hard gallop of
+five miles was about the extent of his capacity. The rude jolting of his
+arm made it extremely painful, while his system, reduced by the fever
+attending the wound, was incapable of supporting such a heavy draft upon
+his strength. He bore up against the pain and faintness which beset him
+as long as he could; but at last, to the oft-repeated inquiries of
+Captain de Banyan in regard to his condition, he was compelled to answer
+in the most discouraging terms.
+
+"We must stop and rest," said the captain. "We have about fifteen miles
+more to go; and you mustn't break down yet, Somers."
+
+"Here, massa, take some of this," said Alick, as he reined in his horse.
+
+"What is it?" asked Somers faintly.
+
+"Brandy."
+
+"I can't drink brandy."
+
+"It will do you good, my dear boy. There is strength in brandy--only as
+medicine. Don't be stubborn, Somers."
+
+"Good brandy, massa," added Alick. "I brought it along on purpose for
+you. I was mighty feared you wouldn't be able to stand the ride."
+
+"I am willing to take it if it will do me any good," said Somers. "I am
+about used up."
+
+The sufferer drank two or three swallows of the fiery liquid from the
+bottle after he had dismounted. The potion gave him an artificial life,
+which enabled him to ride five miles farther, though at a much slower
+pace than before. The roads seemed to be entirely deserted, and the party
+felt satisfied that they had passed out of the reach of a successful
+pursuit. Another dose of brandy gave Somers strength enough to accomplish
+fifteen miles of the journey; but at this point he was absolutely unable
+to sit on his horse. With the assistance of De Banyan, he got off and lay
+for two hours on the ground, where his devoted companions made him a bed
+of their coats. Alick produced some bacon and crackers, which he had
+brought for an emergency, of which Somers partook in small quantities.
+Pressed by his fellow-fugitives, he again drank some brandy; and while
+his head was flying round like a top, his friends placed him on the horse
+again.
+
+In the overpowering weakness and suffering of the hour, Somers had begged
+his companions to leave him to his fate; but De Banyan declared that he
+would be hanged a dozen times before he would do so mean and wicked an
+act. With the fumes of the brandy darting in every direction through his
+brain, which seemed to be about fifty feet above his shoulders, he
+spurred on his horse. The liquor had inspired him to a kind of
+desperation. He hardly knew what he was about, and even forgot the pain
+of his wounded arm.
+
+"Halt!" shouted De Banyan, as the party dashed over a rude bridge
+extending across a broad creek. "Halt, Somers!"
+
+But Somers heeded not the word, and still spurred on, till the captain,
+who rode the fastest animal, could overtake him. He succeeded in stopping
+the furious rider, and in making him understand that they had reached the
+end of their journey in this direction. They returned to the bridge,
+where the sharp eye of the captain had discerned a boat moored to a tree,
+a short distance below the road. Somers, still stupefied by the effects
+of the brandy, tamely submitted to whatever disposition his companions
+chose to make of him. Taking off their coats, they made for him a bed in
+the bottom of the boat, which was a large yawl, evidently used for
+conveying merchandise to some point farther up the creek. The horses were
+turned loose, and the captain and Alick took the oars.
+
+After pulling for half an hour, they were rewarded by a view of the broad
+river which to them was like the Land of Promise; and moored in the
+middle there was a steamer, which in those waters could belong to no
+other party than the United States Government. They rowed out to this
+vessel, and hailed her. Of course they were cordially welcomed after a
+satisfactory explanation had been given.
+
+"Glory hallelujah! How do you feel, Somers?" said Captain de Banyan,
+after he had insured a proper reception on board of the steamer.
+
+"Badly, very badly," replied Somers faintly.
+
+"Well, cheer up, my boy! We have got home again."
+
+"Home!" said Somers, raising himself partially up at the sound of that
+magical word.
+
+The captain and Alick lifted him tenderly, and assisted him up the
+accommodation-ladder of the steamer. The vessel was a gunboat bound up
+the river, and was waiting for the daylight. Somers was taken to the
+ward-room, where the surgeon dressed his arm, and prescribed for his
+bodily ailments. Alick was duly installed as his nurse, though Captain de
+Banyan performed the greater part of his duty. But the consciousness that
+he was again beneath the old flag did more for the patient than even the
+assiduous care of his devoted friends.
+
+After leaving Petersburg the fugitives had pursued a nearly easterly
+course till they arrived at the bridge over Chipoak Creek, where they had
+abandoned their horses, and taken the boat. Alick had chosen this
+direction to avoid the pickets which were on the lookout for them in the
+vicinity of the City Point Railroad. His calculations had been well made,
+and he was rewarded for his zeal and skill by the priceless boon of
+freedom, which he preferred even to the life of comfort and ease he had
+enjoyed beneath the roof of his kind but eccentric master.
+
+How Dr. Scoville ever made his peace with the provost-marshal of
+Petersburg we are not informed; but we will venture to say that his whims
+were not respected after the events we have narrated. He was a wilful
+man; but his guests were very sorry to be compelled to make him such an
+ungenerous return for his noble hospitality. When the war is ended, and
+he is enabled fully to understand the meaning of treason to our
+beneficent Government, no doubt he will be very thankful that his
+prisoner guests escaped as they did.
+
+At nine o'clock on the following morning, the gunboat dropped her anchor
+off Harrison's Landing. Somers, who had slept for several hours, was more
+comfortable, though he was still in a deplorable condition. With the
+kindly assistance of his friends, he was landed at the pier, and conveyed
+in an ambulance to the headquarters of the division. Leaning on the arm
+of De Banyan, he entered the tent of the general.
+
+"Captain Somers!" exclaimed the general. "I had given you up for lost.
+Why, you have grown ten years older in five days!"
+
+"I have the honor to make my report, general," said Somers with a faint
+smile.
+
+"Your report? Good! After losing you, I did not dare to send another
+officer upon such a perilous errand. But, Captain Somers, you are all
+used up," added the general, with a glance filled with sympathy--a look
+which Somers regarded as an adequate reward for all he had suffered; for
+to have _that_ man feel an interest in him was better in his estimation
+than the plaudits of the multitude. "What is the matter with your arm?"
+
+"I was shot at Petersburg," replied Somers.
+
+"Well, well, captain, you must go to the hospital: and
+Captain--what's-his-name----"
+
+"Captain de Banyan, at your service," promptly responded Somers's
+faithful friend.
+
+"Captain de Banyan shall report for you, and tell me all about this
+scrape," added the general. "Get into your carriage, Captain Somers, and
+go to the hospital. I will call and see you to-day or to-morrow."
+
+"Thank you, general."
+
+Captain de Banyan assisted him into the ambulance; and, when he had
+placed him in the care of the surgeon, he returned to headquarters to
+tell the marvelous story of their capture by the rebels, and their escape
+from Petersburg. It is quite likely that he did not add his experience in
+Tennessee; but when the general called on Somers at the hospital the next
+morning, the latter supplied all that had been withheld. The general had
+a higher regard for the captain's patriotism than ever before, for he had
+voluntarily renounced the ranks of the rebellion, and placed himself on
+the side of his country. There was nothing against him; on the contrary,
+his conduct had been in the highest degree praiseworthy. But Captain de
+Banyan was sensitive on this point; and the general readily promised to
+conceal what the brave fellow regarded as a stain upon his character.
+
+Captain Somers did not improve so rapidly as his friends desired. The
+surgeon declared that his night ride from Petersburg, in his feeble
+condition, had done him more injury than a year's hard service; and after
+he had been in the hospital ten days, it was deemed advisable to give him
+a furlough, and send him home, especially as the division was then under
+orders to march to Yorktown. The gallant young hero regretted the
+necessity of leaving the regiment just as he had been promoted; but he
+was in no condition to endure the long and weary march. He was able to
+walk about a little; and on the day before the sailing of the transport
+by which he was to proceed to Washington, he received another visit from
+the general.
+
+After a few kind inquiries in regard to the invalid's condition, the
+general took from his pocket one of those great official envelopes which
+so often carry joy to the heart of the gallant officer. Somers was
+amazed. It could not be possible that his own promotion was indicated by
+this document. It was not three weeks since his commission as captain had
+reached him; but then Senator Guilford was a great man, and wielded a
+tremendous influence, both at Washington, and with the military
+authorities of his native State.
+
+Recalling his former declaration to Captain de Banyan, he was fully
+resolved to decline any further promotion, at least until he had done
+something which entitled him to this distinction. The general held up the
+formidable packet, while Somers's pale face was suffused with blushes.
+
+"I have brought you a major's commission, Somers; and I know it will give
+you joy."
+
+"Really, sir; ah! general, I don't think----"
+
+"Don't you?" laughed the general.
+
+"I don't deserve it, general; and you will pardon me if I say I cannot
+accept it. I am very grateful to you; but----"
+
+"Oh, it isn't for you!" roared the general as he handed him the official
+paper.
+
+"Major de Banyan!" exclaimed Captain Somers as he read the superscription
+with a thrill of delight. "It is indeed a joy to me. I am ten times as
+happy as I should have been if my own name had been coupled with that
+title. I am ever so much obliged to you."
+
+"Senator Guilford again! By the way, Captain Somers, you must call on him
+when you get to Washington."
+
+"I shall certainly do so. But I know my friend could not have been
+promoted without the good word which you have spoken for him."
+
+"Well, it is all right, captain. Major de Banyan is a brave fellow. He
+has done you a good turn; and I waylaid this document so as to afford you
+the pleasure of being the first to address him by his new title."
+
+"Thank you, general."
+
+"And, captain, if you could prevail on the major to be a little more
+reasonable in some of the lies he tells, his reputation for veracity
+would be improved."
+
+"I will endeavor to do so."
+
+The general bade the invalid a hearty and even affectionate adieu; and
+they did not meet again till they grasped hands on the bloody field of
+Antietam, where Somers acted in a new sphere of duty. No sooner had the
+general departed, than Somers, inspired to new vigor by the joyful event
+which had just transpired, hastened to the camp of the regiment.
+
+"Ah, Somers; my dear boy! how are you now?" said his friend as he seized
+his hand.
+
+"Better, I thank you, _Major_ de Banyan."
+
+"Come, now, Somers, that is cruel! A friend of mine, just before the
+battle of Solferino----"
+
+"Confound the battle of Solferino, Major de Banyan!"
+
+"I was about to say that a friend of mine, just before the battle of
+Solferino, made fun of my aspirations, just as you do now----"
+
+"I don't do anything of the sort. Here's the official document. If I read
+right, it says Major de Banyan."
+
+"Somers," said the captain, winking very rapidly to dissipate some
+evidences of weakness which were struggling for existence in his
+eyes--"Somers, you have done this."
+
+"I did write to Senator Guilford about you before we went over the river;
+and now I thank God with all my soul that I did so."
+
+"Somers, you are one of the best of friends!" exclaimed the major as he
+stood with the unopened document in his hand.
+
+"And so are you. Without you, I should have been in a rebel prison or
+under the sod at this time."
+
+"God bless you, Somers!" ejaculated De Banyan, as with trembling hand he
+opened the envelope, and took therefrom his major's commission. "I have
+loved you just like a younger brother; not selfishly, my dear boy, but
+with my whole heart. You haven't disappointed me, only once, when----"
+
+"Don't mention it. I thought you were a rebel then, but I repented."
+
+"I don't blame you. Now, Somers, you are going home. May God bless you
+and keep you! I shall be as sad as a maiden who has lost her lover, while
+you are gone."
+
+"I shall not be absent long. We shall be together again in a few weeks."
+
+"I hope so. I have no home now. It has been desolated by treason. I heard
+since I came over that my wife was dead. I had a son, a boy of fifteen; I
+know not where he is. Well, well; I will not groan or complain. I will do
+my duty to my country, and that shall cheer my heart;" and with an effort
+of his powerful will, he banished the sad reflections from his mind, and
+smiled as though earth had no sorrows. "After the battle of Magenta, I
+had the blues, and----"
+
+"One word, De Banyan. _Were_ you at the battle of Magenta?" said Somers
+solemnly.
+
+The major looked on the ground, at the commission he had just received,
+and then into the sympathizing face of his friend.
+
+"To tell the truth, Somers, I was not; but I fought in every battle in
+Mexico, from Vera Cruz up to the capital."
+
+Somers improved this opportunity to repeat the injunction of the general.
+
+"Now promise me, major, that you will never say Magenta or anything of
+the sort again as long as you live," added Somers.
+
+"That would be a rash promise. I have got a bad habit, and I will try to
+cure myself of it. On my soul I will, my dear boy!"
+
+In the course of the conversation the major, who was now in a
+truth-telling mood, informed Somers that he had, after his escape from
+the rebel army, enlisted in the regular army, where he had been made a
+sergeant, and, through the influence of a Massachusetts officer, had been
+commissioned as a captain. His gallantry had won a swift reward.
+
+On the following day they parted on board the transport in the river; and
+in that sad hour the friendship which, though brief in duration, had been
+fruitful enough for a lifetime, was pledged for the future. They parted,
+De Banyan to mingle in the terrible scenes in which the regiment was
+engaged before the close of the month, and Somers to bask in the smiles
+of the loved ones at home. Alick, who had been regularly installed as the
+captain's servant, went with him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+WASHINGTON, BOSTON AND PINCHBROOK
+
+
+Though the session of Congress had closed a month before, Captain Somers
+was gratified to learn on his arrival that Senator Guilford and his
+family were still in Washington, the distinguished gentleman having been
+detained by important public business. As soon as he could make himself
+presentable, he hastened to pay his respects to the Senator, and thank
+him for his kindness. He was not at home. Emma received him with a warm
+blush of pleasure on her fair cheeks. She had entirely recovered from the
+effects of the accident; and her tribute of gratitude was so eloquently
+poured forth, that the gallant young captain, who had hardly seen a young
+lady before for two months, could not exactly tell whether he stood on
+his head or his heels; for praise from those beautiful lips produced a
+sensation of giddiness in the region of the brain.
+
+Young men will be silly in spite of all we dignified old fogies can say
+to convince them of the folly of being carried away by the witching arts
+of pretty, graceful little creatures like Emma Guilford. Perhaps the
+remembrance of the scene on the railroad was some excuse for him; and it
+is entirely unnecessary to apologize for anything a beautiful girl may
+do, especially if she be the daughter of a Senator. The young lady said a
+great many pretty things, and the young gentleman a great many smart
+ones, before she discovered that the captain was wounded in the arm,
+though she had already remarked upon his pale face and rather attenuated
+form.
+
+He told her when and where he was wounded; and of course she wanted to
+know all about his adventures in Secessia. He was as willing as Othello
+to speak
+
+                                "Of most disastrous chances,
+          Of moving accidents, by flood and field;
+          Of hairbreadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach;
+          Of being taken by the insolent foe."
+
+All this to hear did Emma Guilford seriously incline. But he had hardly
+commenced the story before the Senator himself entered the room.
+
+"Ah! Captain Somers, I am delighted to see you!" said he with enthusiasm,
+as he extended his hand, which our hero as warmly grasped.
+
+"Thank you, sir. I have called to express my obligations to you for all
+your kindness to me and to my friend. Major de Banyan wished to be kindly
+remembered to you."
+
+"I am happy to hear from the major; and as for the rest, I feel that I
+have not yet begun to discharge my obligation to you. Why didn't you
+write to me before?"
+
+"I did not wish to burden you with any remembrance of such a humble
+individual as myself."
+
+"You are too modest by half, Captain Somers. I should not have known
+anything about you if it hadn't been for General---- Well, no matter
+who," laughed the Senator.
+
+"Now, papa, you have cut short the most interesting story that ever was
+told!" interposed Emma.
+
+"The captain must begin again, then. Of course, you will make my house
+your home while in the city."
+
+"Thank you, sir. I left my servant at the hotel"
+
+Senator Guilford insisted on sending for the servant and the baggage;
+and, in half an hour, Alick was present to confirm the wonderful tale
+which Somers told of his captivity in Petersburg, to which Emma and her
+father listened with the most intense interest.
+
+Very much to his surprise, Captain Somers found himself quite a lion in
+Washington. He was introduced to Senators and Representatives; and on the
+following evening actually took the President of the United States by the
+hand, just as though he had been one of the patriarchs of Pinchbrook.
+
+In spite of all these brilliant surroundings, Somers was anxious to get
+home. He was too feeble to endure the excitement of the capital; and on
+the third day after his arrival, he started for home. When he reached
+Boston, by an unfortunate chance it was two hours before a train would
+start for Pinchbrook. As he had spent two days with a Senator in
+Washington, and shaken hands with the President, he deemed himself
+qualified to call at No. -- Rutland Street, where the carriage soon set
+him down.
+
+Lilian Ashford was at home; and Captain Somers, who had faced a whole
+rebel brigade, trembled and blushed in the presence of the maiden like
+the veriest coward in the world. But it was some satisfaction to know
+that the other party was similarly affected. The young hero could not
+exactly explain how he felt. It was a different sensation from that which
+had come over him in the presence of Emma Guilford. He experienced a
+feeling of awe before her, but he could talk as fast as ever; while to
+Lilian he stammered, couldn't remember anything, and made woful confusion
+in his words and in his ideas.
+
+When the ice was broken, he succeeded in telling her something about his
+adventures in Virginia, and roused a very strong desire in her mind to
+see the wonderful Major de Banyan. But his brief hour expired all too
+soon; it faded in a moment, and seemed like a tale that was told.
+
+"I wore your socks at the battles of Savage's Station, Glendale and White
+Oak Swamp, Miss Ashford," said he; "and I shall keep them for future
+service of the same kind. If I am killed in battle, I shall be found with
+those socks on my feet."
+
+"Oh, I hope you won't be killed!" exclaimed she with a shudder.
+
+"Well, I hope not; but, as soon as I am able, I shall return to my duty."
+
+"What a brave fellow you are! I shouldn't think you would dare to stand
+up before the cannons, and the muskets, and the bayonets."
+
+"When I feel like running away, I always think of my socks," said Somers.
+
+But the carriage had come for him, and Alick stood at the door waiting
+for his appearance. He took the little soft white hand in his own, and
+readily promised, when she invited him, to call again soon and see her
+grandmother, who was out of town that day. Of course, Somers was deeply
+interested in that venerable lady, and actually looked forward with
+intense pleasure to the anticipated visit.
+
+He was driven to the railroad station, and reached Pinchbrook at "high
+twelve," when the Pinchbrookers were just going to their dinners. Captain
+Barney, as usual, was at the depot, and gave him a seaman's welcome home.
+He insisted upon being driven to the cottage before dinner; and the old
+shipmaster, finding that Captain Somers carried too many guns for him,
+gracefully yielded the point.
+
+"Bless my stars, if there ain't Thomas!" cried Mrs. Somers as she jumped
+up from the dinner-table, and actually upset the teapot in the operation.
+
+"How do you do, mother? How do you do, father?" exclaimed the young
+captain as he shook hands with his father and Gran'ther Green, kissed his
+mother, and hugged his sister.
+
+"How pale you look, Thomas!" said his mother. "I declare, you are as thin
+as a hatchet! How is your arm?"
+
+"Better, mother; I shall be as good as new in a few days."
+
+"You look pale; but your face is as nateral as life," said Gran'ther
+Green. "I don't know what we shall do with two cap'ns in the family."
+
+"I think we can manage that, gran'ther," replied Somers, as he took the
+place at the table which had been prepared for him.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+We drop the curtain upon the scenes which followed; for our patient
+reader can better imagine than we can describe them. Our hero was once
+more within the hallowed precincts of home; all its sacred joys flowed in
+upon his soul; and he thanked the good Father who had conducted him
+through so many perils, and restored him to the hearts of the loved ones
+who yearned for him in his absence. They were as grateful for his return
+as he was--grateful that God had restored him at all; but doubly so that
+he had come with his soul unstained by the vices of the camp and the
+wickedness of the great world.
+
+The health of Captain Somers did not permit his return to the army to
+participate in those great battles before Washington in which his
+regiment was reduced to a mere skeleton of its former self. But, while
+the country was breathing slowly and fearfully before the terrors of
+Lee's invasion of Maryland, there came to Pinchbrook a letter from the
+gallant general of division--now in command of a _corps d'armée_--under
+whom he had before served, containing an appointment on his staff. Though
+still but partially restored to health, he hastened to accept his new
+position, and started at once for the scene of strife.
+
+His suffering country needed him; and he could not satisfy his sense of
+duty, even with the reasonable excuse of a shattered physical frame. He
+went, and his record was always honorable and noble in success and in
+misfortune.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+
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+
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+
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+$1.00.
+
+Dan Mordaunt and his mother live in a poor tenement, and the lad is
+pluckily trying to make ends meet by selling papers in the streets of New
+York. A little heiress of six years is confided to the care of the
+Mordaunts. The child is kidnapped and Dan tracks the child to the house
+where she is hidden, and rescues her. The wealthy aunt of the little
+heiress is so delighted with Dan's courage and many good qualities that
+she adopts him as her heir.
+
+Tony the Hero: A Brave Boy's Adventure with a Tramp. By Horatio Alger, Jr.
+12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Tony, a sturdy bright-eyed boy of fourteen, is under the control of
+Rudolph Rugg, a thorough rascal. After much abuse Tony runs away and gets
+a Job as stable boy in a country hotel. Tony is heir to a large estate.
+Rudolph for a consideration hunts up Tony and throws him down a deep well.
+Of course Tony escapes from the fate provided for him, and by a brave act,
+a rich friend secures his rights and Tony is prosperous. A very
+entertaining book.
+
+The Errand Boy; or, How Phil Brent Won Success. By Horatio Alger, Jr.
+12mo, cloth illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+The career of "The Errand Boy" embraces the city adventures of a
+smart country lad. Philip was brought up by a kind-hearted innkeeper
+named Brent. The death of Mrs. Brent paved the way for the hero's
+subsequent troubles. A retired merchant in New York secures him the
+situation of errand boy, and thereafter stands as his friend.
+
+Tom Temple's Career. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
+$1.00.
+
+Tom Temple is a bright, self-reliant lad. He leaves Plympton village to
+seek work in New York, whence he undertakes an important mission to
+California. Some of his adventures in the far west are so startling that
+the reader will scarcely close the book until the last page shall have
+been reached. The tale is written in Mr. Alger's most fascinating style.
+
+For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the
+publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York.
+
+
+
+
+BOOKS FOR BOYS.
+
+Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth,
+illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Frank Fowler, a poor boy, bravely determines to make a living for himself
+and his foster-sister Grace. Going to New York he obtains a situation as
+cash boy in a dry goods store. He renders a service to a wealthy old
+gentleman who takes a fancy to the lad, and thereafter helps the lad to
+gain success and fortune.
+
+Tom Thatcher's Fortune. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, illustrated,
+price $1.00.
+
+Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious, unselfish boy. He supports his mother
+and sister on meagre wages earned as a shoe-pegger in John Simpson's
+factory. Tom is discharged from the factory and starts overland for
+California. He meets with many adventures. The story is told in a way
+which has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes.
+
+The Train Boy. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
+$1.00.
+
+Paul Palmer was a wide-awake boy of sixteen who supported his mother and
+sister by selling books and papers on the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad.
+He detects a young man in the act of picking the pocket of a young lady.
+In a railway accident many passengers are killed, but Paul is fortunate
+enough to assist a Chicago merchant, who out of gratitude takes him into
+his employ. Paul succeeds with tact and judgment and is well started on
+the road to business prominence.
+
+Mark Mason's Victory. The Trials and Triumphs of a Telegraph Boy. By
+Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Mark Mason, the telegraph boy, was a sturdy, honest lad, who pluckily won
+his way to success by his honest manly efforts under many difficulties.
+This story will please the very large class of boys who regard Mr. Alger
+as a favorite author.
+
+A Debt of Honor. The Story of Gerald Lane's Success in the Far West. By
+Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+The story of Gerald Lane and the account of the many trials and
+disappointments which he passed through before he attained success, will
+interest all boys who have read the previous stories of this delightful
+author.
+
+Ben Bruce. Scenes in the Life of a Bowery Newsboy. By Horatio Alger, Jr.
+12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Ben Bruce was a brave, manly, generous boy. The story of his efforts, and
+many seeming failures and disappointments, and his final success, are most
+interesting to all readers. The tale is written in Mr. Alger's most
+fascinating style.
+
+The Castaways; or, On the Florida Reefs. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth,
+illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+This tale smacks of the salt sea. From the moment that the Sea Queen
+leaves lower New York bay till the breeze leaves her becalmed off the
+coast of Florida, one can almost hear the whistle of the wind through her
+rigging, the creak of her straining cordage as she heels to the leeward.
+The adventures of Ben Clark, the hero of the story and Jake the cook,
+cannot fail to charm the reader. As a writer for young people Mr. Otis is
+a prime favorite.
+
+For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the
+publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York.
+
+
+
+
+BOOKS FOR BOYS.
+
+Wrecked on Spider Island; or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. By James
+Otis. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Ned Rogers, a "down-east" plucky lad ships as cabin boy to earn a
+livelihood. Ned is marooned on Spider Island, and while there discovers a
+wreck submerged in the sand, and finds a considerable amount of treasure.
+The capture of the treasure and the incidents of the voyage serve to make
+as entertaining a story of sea-life as the most captious boy could desire.
+
+The Search for the Silver City: A Tale of Adventure in Yucatan. By James
+Otis. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Two lads, Teddy Wright and Neal Emery, embark on the steam yacht Day Dream
+for a cruise to the tropics. The yacht is destroyed by fire, and then the
+boat is cast upon the coast of Yucatan. They hear of the wonderful Silver
+City, of the Chan Santa Cruz Indians, and with the help of a faithful
+Indian ally carry off a number of the golden images from the temples.
+Pursued with relentless vigor at last their escape is effected in an
+astonishing manner. The story is so full of exciting incidents that the
+reader is quite carried away with the novelty and realism of the
+narrative.
+
+A Runaway Brig; or, An Accidental Cruise. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth,
+illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+This is a sea tale, and the reader can look out upon the wide shimmering
+sea as it flashes back the sunlight, and imagine himself afloat with Harry
+Vandyne, Walter Morse, Jim Libby and that old shell-back, Bob Brace, on
+the brig Bonita. The boys discover a mysterious document which enables
+them to find a buried treasure. They are stranded on an island and at last
+are rescued with the treasure. The boys are sure to be fascinated with
+this entertaining story.
+
+The Treasure Finders: A Boy's Adventures in Nicaragua. By James Otis.
+12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
+
+Roy and Dean Coloney, with their guide Tongla, leave their father's indigo
+plantation to visit the wonderful ruins of an ancient city. The boys
+eagerly explore the temples of an extinct race and discover three golden
+images cunningly hidden away. They escape with the greatest difficulty.
+Eventually they reach safety with their golden prizes. We doubt if there
+ever was written a more entertaining story than "The Treasure Finders."
+
+Jack, the Hunchback. A Story of the Coast of Maine, By James Otis. Price
+$1.00.
+
+This is the story of a little hunchback who lived on Cape Elizabeth, on
+the coast of Maine. His trials and successes are most interesting. From
+first to last nothing stays the interest of the narrative. It bears us
+along as on a stream whose current varies in direction, but never loses
+its force.
+
+With Washington at Monmouth: A Story of Three Philadelphia Boys. By James
+Otis. 12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine edges, illustrated, price $1.50.
+
+Three Philadelphia lads assist the American spies and make regular and
+frequent visits to Valley Forge in the Winter while the British occupied
+the city. The story abounds with pictures of Colonial life skillfully
+drawn, and the glimpses of Washington's soldiers which are given shown
+that the work has not been hastily done, or without considerable study.
+The story is wholesome and patriotic in tone, as are all of Mr. Otis'
+works.
+
+For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the
+publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York.
+
+
+
+
+BOOKS FOR BOYS.
+
+With Lafayette at Yorktown: A Story of How Two Boys Joined the Continental
+Army. By James Otis. 12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine edges, illustrated,
+price $1.50.
+
+Two lads from Portmouth, N. H., attempt to enlist in the Colonial Army,
+and are given employment as spies. There is no lack of exciting incidents
+which the youthful reader craves, but it is healthful excitement brimming
+with facts which every boy should be familiar with, and while the reader
+is following the adventures of Ben Jaffrays and Ned Allen he is acquiring
+a fund of historical lore which will remain in his memory long after that
+which he has memorized from textbooks has been forgotten.
+
+At the Siege of Havana. Being the Experiences of Three Boys Serving under
+Israel Putnam in 1762. By James Otis. 12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine
+edges, illustrated, price $1.50.
+
+"At the Siege of Havana" deals with that portion of the island's history
+when the English king captured the capital, thanks to the assistance given
+by the troops from New England, led in part by Col. Israel Putnam.
+
+The principal characters are Darius Lunt, the lad who, represented as
+telling the story, and his comrades, Robert Clement and Nicholas Vallet.
+Colonel Putnam also figures to considerable extent, necessarily, in the
+tale, and the whole forms one of the most readable stories founded on
+historical facts.
+
+The Defense of Fort Henry. A Story of Wheeling Creek in 1777. By James
+Otis. 12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine edges, illustrated, price $1.50.
+
+Nowhere in the history of our country can be found more heroic or
+thrilling incidents than in the story of those brave men and women who
+founded the settlement of Wheeling in the Colony of Virginia. The recital
+of what Elizabeth Zane did is in itself as heroic a story as can be
+imagined. The wondrous bravery displayed by Major McCulloch and his
+gallant comrades, the sufferings of the colonists and their sacrifice of
+blood and life, stir the blood of old as well as young readers.
+
+The Capture of the Laughing Mary. A Story of Three New York Boys in 1776.
+By James Otis. 12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine edges, price $1.50.
+
+"During the British occupancy of New York, at the outbreak of the
+Revolution, a Yankee lad hears of the plot to take General Washington's
+person, and calls in two companions to assist the patriot cause. They do
+some astonishing things, and, incidentally, lay the way for an American
+navy later, by the exploit which gives its name to the work. Mr. Otis'
+books are too well known to require any particular commendation to the
+young."--Evening Post.
+
+With Warren at Bunker Hill. A Story of the Siege of Boston. By James Otis.
+12mo, ornamental cloth, olivine edges, illustrated, price $1.50.
+
+"This is a tale of the siege of Boston, which opens on the day after the
+doings at Lexington and Concord, with a description of home life in
+Boston, introduces the reader to the British camp at Charlestown, shows
+Gen. Warren at home, describes what a boy thought of the battle of Bunker
+Hill, and closes with the raising of the siege. The three heroes, George
+Wentworth, Ben Scarlett and an old ropemaker, incur the enmity of a young
+Tory, who causes them many adventures the boys will like to read."
+--Detroit Free Press.
+
+For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the
+publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT***
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