CHAPTER XVII. GATHERING INFORMATION
SI AND SHORTY WORK A TRAP AND LAND SOME PRISONERS.
THE boys were sitting around having another smoke before crawling intotheir blankets, spread under the shade of the scraggly locusts and mangycedars, when the dogs raised an alarm.
"Get back under the shadow of the trees, boys, and keep quiet," said Si.
"Hello, the house!" came out of the darkness at the foot of the hill.
"Hello, thar' yourself," answered Shorty, imitating Mrs. Bolster'svoice.
"Hit's me--Brad Tingle. Don't yo' know my voice? Call off yer dogs.They'll eat me up."
"Hullo, Brad; is that yo'? Whar'd yo' come from? Git out, thar, Watch!Lay down, Tige! Begone, Bones! Come on up, Brad."
Shorty's imitations of Mrs. Bolster's voice and manner were so good asto deceive even the dogs, who changed their attitude of shrill defianceto one of fawning welcome.
"Whar'd yo' come from, Brad?" repeated Shorty as the newcomer made hisway up the narrow, stony path.
"Jest from the Yankee camps," answered the newcomer. "Me an' Jim Wyatt'sbin over thar by that{236} Hoosier camp tryin' to git the drop on theirKurnel as he was gwine t' Brigade Headquarters. We a'most had him whena company o' Yankees that'd bin out in the country for somethinga'most run over us. They'uns wuz a-nigh on top o' we'uns afore weseed they'uns, an' then we'uns had t' scatter. Jim run one way an' meanother. I come back here t' see ef yo' had any o' the boys here. Ihearn tell that a passel o' Yankee ossifers is at a dance over at theWidder Brewster's an' I thought we'uns might done gether they'uns in efwe'uns went about it right."
"So you kin--so you kin," said Shorty, reaching out from behind thebushes and catching him by the collar. "And to show you how, I'll jestgether you in."
A harsh, prolonged, sibilant, far-reaching hiss came from the door ofthe cabin, but came too late to warn Brad Tingle of the trap into whichhe was walking.
Shorty understood it at once. He jerked Tingle forward into Si's strongclutch, and then walked toward the cabin, singing out angrily:
"Jeff Hackberry, I want you to make that wife o' your'n mind her ownbisness, and let other people's alone. You and her've got quite enoughto do to tend to your honeymoon, without mixing into things that don'tconcern you. Take her back to bed and keep her there."
He went back to where Si was disarming and searching Tingle. Theprisoner had a United States musket, cartridge-box, canteen, and a newhaversack, all of which excited Shorty's ire.{237}
"You hound, you," he said, taking him by the throat with a fierce grasp,"you've bin bushwhacking, and got these things off some soldier yousneaked onto and killed. We ought to kill you right now, like we would adog."
"No, Mister, I haint killed nobody; I swar t' God I haint," gurgled theprisoner, trying to release his throat from Shorty's grip.
"Where'd you git these things?" demanded Shorty.
"Mrs. Bolster gi' me the gun an' cartridge-box; I done found the canteenin the road, an' the poke with the letters in hit the Yank had done laiddown beside him when he stopped t' git a drink, an' me an' Jim crep' upon him an' ordered him to surrender. He jumped an' run, an' we wuz afeared to shoot least we bring the rest o' the Yanks down onto us."
At the mention of letters Si began eagerly examining the contents of thehaversack. He held some of them down to the light of the fire, and thenexclaimed excitedly:
"Why, boys, this is our mail. It was Will Gobright they were after."
A sudden change came over Shorty. He took the prisoner by the back ofthe neck and ran him up to the door of the house and flung him inside.Then he hastened back to the fire and said:
"Le's see them letters."
A pine-knot had been thrown on the fire to make a bright blaze, by thelight of which Si was laboriously fumbling over the letters. Even by theflaring, uncertain glare it could be seen that a ruddy hue came intohis face as he came across one with a gorgeous flag on one end of theenvelope, and directed in a{238} pinched, labored hand on straight linesscratched by a pin. He tried to slip the letter unseen by the rest intohis blouse pocket, but fumbled it so badly that he dropped the rest in aheap at the edge of the fire.
"Look out, Si," said Shorty crossly, and hastily snatching the lettersaway from the fire. "You'll burn up somebody's letters, and thenthere'll be no end o' trouble. You're clumsier'n a foundered horse. Yourfingers are all thumbs."
"Handle them yourself, if you think you kin do any better," said Si,who, having got all that he wanted, lost interest in the rest. If Si'sfingers were all thumbs. Shorty's seemed all fists. Besides, his readingof handwriting was about as laborious as climbing a ladder. He tackledthe lot bravely, though, and laboriously spelled out and guessed oneaddress after another, until suddenly his eye was glued on a postmarkthat differed from the others. "Wis." first caught his glance, and heturned the envelope around until he had spelled out "Bad Ax" as the restof the imprint. This was enough. Nobody else in the regiment got lettersfrom Bad Ax, Wis. He fumbled the letter into his blouse pocket, and inturn dropped the rest at the edge of the fire, arousing protests fromthe other boys.
"Well, if any o' you think you kin do better'n I kin, take 'em up. Therethey are," said he. "You go over 'em, Tom Welch. I must look around alittle."
Shorty secretly caressed the precious envelope in his pocket with hisgreat, strong fingers, and pondered as to how he was going to get anopportunity to read the letter before daylight. It was toosacred{239} and too sweet to be opened and read before the eyes of hisunsympathetic, teasing comrades, and yet it seemed an eternity to waittill morning. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye at Si, whowas going through the same process, as he stood with abstracted air onthe other side of the fire. The sudden clamor of the dogs recalled themto present duties.
"Hullo, the house!" came out of the darkness.
"Hullo, yourself!" replied Shorty, in Mrs. Bolster's tones.
"It's me--Groundhog. Call off yer dogs."
Si and Shorty looked startled, and exchanged significant glances."Needn't 've told it was him," said Shorty. "I could smell his breatheven this far. Hullo, Groundhog," he continued in loud tones. "Comeon up. Git out, Watch! Lay down, Tige! Begone, Bones! Come on up,Groundhog. What's the news?"
A louder, longer, more penetrating hiss than ever sounded from thehouse. Shorty looked around angrily. Si made a break for the door.
"No, I can't come up now," said Groundhog; "I jest come by to see ifthings wuz all right. A company went out o' camp this mornin' for someplace that I couldn't find out. I couldn't git word t' you, an' I've binanxious 'bout whether it come this way."
"Never tetched us," answered Shorty, in perfect reproduction of Mrs.Bolster's accents. "We'uns is all right."
The hissing from the cabin became so loud that it seemed impossible forGroundhog not to hear it.{240}
"Blast it, Si, can't you gag that old guinea-hen," said Shorty, in asavage undertone.
Si was in the meanwhile muttering all sorts of savage threats at Mrs.Bolster, the least of which was to go in and choke the life out of herif she did not stop her signalling.
"Glad t' hear it," said Groundhog. "I was a leetle skeery all day aboutit, an' come out as soon's I could. Have yo' seed Brad Tingle?"
"Yes; seen him to-day."
"D' yo' know whar he is? Kin yo' git word to him quick?"
"Yes, indeed; right off."
"Well, send word to him as soon as you kin, that I've got the mulesready for stampedin' an' runnin' off at any time, an' waitin' for him.The sooner he kin jump the corral the better. To-night, if he kin, butsuttinly not later'n to-morrer night. Be sure and git word to him byearly to-morrer mornin' at the furthest."
"I'll be sure t' git word t' him this very night," answered thefictitious Mrs. Bolster.
"Well, good-night. I must hurry along, an' git back afore the secondrelief goes off. All my friends air on it. See yo' ter-morrer, if Ikin."
"You jest bet you'll see me to-morrow," said Shorty grimly, as he heardGround
hog's mule clatter away. "If you don't see me the disappointment'll come nigh breaking my heart. Now I'll go in and learn Mr. and Mrs.Hackberry how to spend the first night o' their wedded lives."
"I don't keer ef yo' do shoot me. I'd a heap ruther be shot than not,"she was saying to Si as Shorty{241} came up. "I've changed my mindsence I've bin put in here. I'd a heap ruther die than live with JeffHackberry."
"Never knowed married folks to git tired o' one another so soon,"commented Shorty. "But I should've thought that Jeff' d got tired first.But this it no time to fool around with fambly jars. Look here, JeffHackberry, you must make that wife o' yourn keep quiet. If she tries togive another signal we'll tie you up by the thumbs now, besides shootyou in the mornin'."
"What kin I do with her?" whined Jeff.
"Do with her? You kin make her mind. That's your duty. You're the heado' the fambly."
"Head o' the fambly?" groaned Jeff, in mournful sarcasm. "Mister, youdon't seem to be acquainted with 'Frony.
"Head o' the fambly," sneered his wife. "He aint the head o' nothin'.Not the head o' a pin. He haint no more head'n a fishworm."
"Look here, woman," said Shorty, "didn't you promise to love, honor andobey him?"
"No, I didn't nuther. I said I'd shove, hammer an' belay him. Hit's noneo' yer bizniss, nohow, yo' sneakin' Yankee' what I do to him. You hain'tno call t' mix betwixt him an' me. An' my mouth's my own. I'll use hitjest as I please, in spite o' yo' an' him, an' 40 others like yo'. Hearthat?"
"Well, you git back into that bed, an' stay there, and don't you daregive another signal, or I'll buck-and-gag you on your wedding-night."
"Don't you dar tetch me," she said menacingly.
"I aint goin' to tech you. I'm too careful what I{242} touch. But I'lltie you to that bed and gag you, if you don't do as I say. Get back intobed at once."
"I ain't gwine t', and yo' can't make me," she said defiantly.
"Take hold of her, Jeff," said Shorty, pulling out his bayonet and givingthat worthy a little prod.
Jeff hesitated until Shorty gave him a more earnest prod, when headvanced toward his wife, but, as he attempted to lay his hands on hershoulders, she caught him, gave him a quick twist and a trip, and downhe went; but he had clutched her to save himself from falling, andbrought her down with him. Shorty caught her elbows and called to Si tobring him a piece of cord, with which he tied her arms. Another piecebound her ankles. She lay on the floor and railed with all the vehemenceof her vicious tongue.
"Pick her up and lay her on the bed there," Shorty ordered Jeff. Jefffound some difficulty in lifting the tall, bony frame, but Shorty gavehim a little help with the ponderous but agile feet, and the woman wasfinally gotten on the bed.
"Now, we'll gag you next, if you make any more trouble," threatenedShorty. "We don't allow no woman to interfere with military operations."
They had scarcely finished this when the dogs began barking again, andSi and Shorty hurried out. The operations in the house had rather heatedthem, the evening was warm, and Shorty had taken off his blouse anddrawn it up inside of his belt, in the rear.
The noise of the dogs betokened the approach of something more thanusual visitors. Through the clamor the boys' quick ears could detectthe clatter{243} of an ominous number of hoofs. The other boys heard it,too, and were standing around, gun in hand, waiting developments.
"Hullo, dere, de house!" came in a voice Si and Shorty dimly recognizedhaving heard somewhere before.
"Hullo, yourself," answered Shorty. "Who air yo?"{243}
"I'm Capt. Littles," came back above the noise of barking. "Call offyour togs. I'm all righdt. Is it all right up dere?"
"Yes. Lay down. Watch! Git out, Tige!" Shorty started to answer, when hewas interrupted by the apparition of Mrs. Bolster-Hackberry flying outof the door, and yelling at the top of her voice:
"No, hit ain't all right at all. Captain. The Yankees 've got us. Thar'sa right smart passel o' 'em here, with we'uns prisoners. Jump 'em, ifyou' kin. If yo' can't, skeet out an' git enough t' down 'em an' git usout."
Si and Shorty recognized that the time for words was passed. Theysnatched up their guns and fired in the direction of the hail. The otherboys did the same. There was a patter of replying shots, aimed at thefire around which they had been standing, but had moved away from.
Apparently, Capt. Littles thought the Yankees were in too great forcefor him to attack, for his horses could be heard moving away. The boysfollowed them with shots aimed at the sound. Si and Shorty ran downforward a little ways, hoping to get a better sight. The rebels halted,apparently{244} dis mounted, got behind a fence and began firing back atintervals.
Si and Shorty fired from the point they had gained, and drew uponthemselves quite a storm of shots.
"Things look bad," said Si to Shorty. "They've halted there to hold uswhile they send for reinforcements. We'd better go back to the boys andget things in shape. Mebbe we'd better send back to camp for help."
"We'll wait till we find out more about 'em," said Shorty, as they movedback. They had to cross the road, upon the white surface of which theystood out in bold contrast and drew some shots which came uncomfortablyclose.
The other boys, after a severe struggle, had caught Mrs.Bolster-Hackberry and put her back in the cabin. After a briefconsultation, it was decided to hold their ground until daylight. Theycould get into the cabin, and by using it as a fortification, stand offa big crowd of enemies. The rest of the boys were sent inside to punchout loop-holes between the logs, and make the place as defensible aspossible. Si and Shorty were to stay outside and observe.
"I've got an idee how to fix that old woman," said Shorty suddenly.
"Buck-and-gag her?" inquired Si.
"No; we'll go in there and chuck her down that hole where she kept herwhisky, and fasten the hasp in the staple."
"Good idee, if the hole will hold her."
"It's got to hold her. We can't have her{245} rampaging round during thefight. I'd rather have a whole company o' rebels on my back."
They did not waste any words with the old woman, but despite her yellsand protests Si took hold of one shoulder Shorty the other, and forcedher down in the pit and closed the puncheon above her.
They went out again to reconnoiter. The enemy was quiet, apparentlywaiting. Only one shot, fired in the direction of the fire, showed thatthey were still there.
Shorty suddenly bethought him of his blouse, in the pocket of which wasthe precious letter. He felt for it. It was gone. He was stunned.
"I remember, now," he said to himself, "it was working out as I ran, andit slipped down as I climbed the fence."
He said aloud:
"Si, I've lost my blouse. I dropped it down there jest before we crossedthe road. I'm goin' to get it."
"Blast the blouse," said Si; "let it be till mornin'. You need somethingworse'n a blouse to-night. You'll ketch a bullet sure's you're alive ifyou try to go acrost that road agin. They rake it."
"I don't care if they do," said Shorty desperately. "I'd go down thereif a battery raked it. There's a letter in the pocket that I must have."
Si instinctively felt for the letter in his own pocket. "Very well," hesaid, "if you feel as if you must go I'll go along."
"No, you sha'n't. You stay here in command; it's your duty. You can'thelp if you do go. I'll go alone. I'll tell you what you might do,though. You might go over there to the left and fire on 'em, as if{246}we wuz feelin' around that way. That'll draw some o' their attention."
Si did as suggested.
Shorty crept back to the point they had before occupied. The rebels sawhim coming over a httle knoll, and fired at him. He ran for the fence.He looked over at the road, and thought he saw the blouse lying in theditch on the opposite side. He sprang over the fence and ran across theroad. The rebels had anticipated this and sent a volley into the road.One bullet struck a small stone, which flew up and smote Shorty's cheekso sharply that he reeled. But he went on across, picked up the blouse,found the dear letter
, and deliberately stopped in the road until hetransferred it to the breast of his shirt. Then he sprang back overthe fence, and stopped there a moment to rest. He could hear the rebelCaptain talking to his men, and every moment the accents of the voicebecame more familiar.
"Don't vaste your shods," he was saying. "Don'd vire undil you seessomedings to shood ad, unt den vire to hid. See how many shods you hafalretty vired mitout doing no goot. You must dink dat ammunition's asblenty as vater in de Southern Confederacy. If you hat as much druble asI haf to ket cartridges you vould pe more garcful of dem."
Capt. Littles was Rosenbaum, the Jew spy, masquerading in a new role.Shorty's heart leaped. Instantly he thought of a way to let Rosenbaumknow whom he had run up against.
"Corporal Si Klogg!" he called out in his loudest tones.
"What is it, Shorty?" answered the wondering Si.{247}
"Don't let any more o' the boys shoot over there to the left. That's theway Capt. McGillicuddy's a-comin' in with Co. Q. I think I kin see himnow jest raisin' the hill. Yes, I'm sure it's him."
The next instant he heard the rebel Captain saying to his men:
"Boys, dey're goming up in our rear. Dey're de men ve saw a liddle vhileago. De only vay is to mount unt make a rush past de house. All mountunt vollow me as vast as dey gan."
There was a gallop of horsemen up the road, and they passed by like thewind, while Si and Shorty fired as fast as they could load--Shorty overtheir heads. Si at the noise. Just opposite the house the Captain'shorse stumbled, and his rider went over his head into a bank of weeds.The rest swept on, not heeding the mishap.
"Surrender, Levi," said Shorty, running up.
"Certainly, my tear poy," said Rosenbaum. "Anyding dat you vant. Howare you, any vay? Say, dat vas a nead drick, vasn't it? Haf your horsesdumble unt trow you jest ad de righd dime unt place? It dook me a longdime to deach my horse dot. I'm mighty glat to see you."
{248}
CHAPTER XVIII. THE JEW SPY AGAIN
MR. ROSENBAUM RECITES A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
"HIST, boys, don't talk friendly to me out loud," said the prudentRosenbaum. "What's happened? I know you have got the house. I have beenexpecting for a long time that there would be a raid made upon it. Whatthe devil is that saying you have: 'It's a long worm that don't have aturn.' No; that isn't it. 'It's an ill lane that blows nobody no good.'No; that's not it, neither. Well, anyway, Mrs. Sophronia unt her crowdgot entirely too bold. They played too open, unt I knew they'd soon getketched. Who did you get in the house?"
Si started to call over the names, and to recite the circumstances, butas he reached that of Brad Tingle, Rosenbaum clutched him by the arm andsaid earnestly:
"Hold on. Tell me the rest after a while. I'm afraid of that man. He'scome pretty near getting on to me several times already. He's listeningnow, unt he'll be sure to suspect something if he don't hear youtreating me as you did the others. Begin swearing at me as you did atthe rest."
Si instantly took the hint.
"I'll stand no more foolishness," he called out{249} angrily. "If youdon't surrender at once I'll blow your rebel head off."
"I have to give up," Rosenbaum replied in an accent of pain, "for Ibelieve I broke my leg when I fell. I find I can't stand up."
"Give up your arms, then, and we'll help you up to the fire, and see howbadly you're hurt," said Si.
Rosenbaum gave groans of anguish as Si and Shorty picked him up andcarried him over to the fire.
"Now we're out of ear-shot o' the house," said Si, as they deposited himon the opposite side, and somewhat behind a thicket of raspberries, "andwe can talk. Where did you come from this time, Levi?"
"Straight from General Bragg's Headquarters at Tullahoma, and I havegot information that will make General Rosecrans's heart jump for joy.I have got the news he has been waiting for all these weeks to movehis army. I have got the number of Bragg's men, just where they arestationed, and how many is at each place. I'm crazy to get to GeneralRosecrans with the news. I have been cavorting around the country allday trying some way to get in, unt at my wits' ent, for some of the menwith me had their suspicions of me, unt wouldn't have hesitated to shootme, if they didn't like the way I was acting. To tell the truth, it'sbeen getting pretty hot for me over there in the rebel lines. Too manymen have seen me in Yankee camps. This man. Brad Tingle, has seen metwice at General Rosecrans's Headquarters, unt has told a lot of storiesthat made much trouble. I think that this is the last{250} visit I'llpay General Bragg. I'm fond of visiting, but it rather discourages meto be so that I can't look at a limb running out from a tree withoutthinking that it may be where they will hang me."
"Excuse me from any such visitin'," said Si sympathetically. "I'd muchrather stay at home. I've had 12 or 15 hours inside the enemy's lines,playin' off deserter, and I've had enough to last me my three years.I'll take any day o' the battle o' Stone River in preference. I ain'tbuilt for the spy business in any shape or form. I'm plain, out-and-outWabash prairie style--everything above ground and in sight."
"Well, I'm different from you," said Shorty. "I own up that I'm awfullyfond o' a game o' hocuspocus with the rebels, and tryin' to see whichkin thimble-rig the other. It's mighty excitin' gamblin' when your ownhead's the stake, an' beats poker an' faro all holler. But I want thewomen ruled out o' the game. Never saw a game yit that a woman wouldn'tspile if she got her finger in."
"Mrs. Bolster came mighty near marrying him, and he's pale yet from thescare," Si explained.
"Yes," said Shorty frankly. "You'll see I'm still while all around thegills. Never wuz so rattled in my life. That woman's a witch. You couldonly kill her by shooting her with a silver bullet. She put a spellon me, sure's you're a foot high. Lord, wouldn't I like to be able tomanage her. I'd set her up with a faro-bank or a sweat-board, and she'dwin all the money in the army in a month."
"Yes, she's a terror," accorded Rosenbaum. "She{251} made up her mindto marry me when I first come down here. I was awfully scared, for I wassure she saw through me sharper than the men did, and would marry me orexpose me. But I got some points on her about poisoning a neighboringwoman that she hated unt was jealous of, unt then I played an immediateorder from General Bragg to me to report to his Headquarters. But ittook all the brains I had to keep her off me."
"She's safe now from marryin' anybody for awhile," said Shorty, and herelated the story of her nuptials, which amused Rosenbaum greatly.
"But you have signed Jeff Hackberry's death warrant," he said. "If hetries to live with her she'll feed him wild parsnip, unt he'll get ahouse of red clay, that you put the roof on with a shovel. It'll be nogreat loss. Jeff ain't worth in a year the bread he'll eat in a day."
"She may be smothered in that hole," Shorty bethought himself. "I guesswe'd better let her out for awhile."
"Yes," said Rosenbaum. "She can't do no harm now. Nobody else will comethis way to-night. The men that were with me will scatter the news thatthe house is in Yankee hands. They think there's a big force here, untso we won't be disturbed till morning."
"Then I'll go in and let her out," said Shorty.
The other inmates of the cabin were asleep when he entered, but theywaked up, and begged him not to let the woman out until morning.
"Keep her in there till daylight," said 'Squire Corson, "and thenrestore me to my home and functions,{252} and I'll call out a possecomitatus, and have her publicly ducked, according to the laws of theland, as a common scold. I've never heard such vile language as sheapplied to me when I gave her the advice it was my duty to give to livein peace and quietness with her husband. That there woman's a Niagary ofcuss words and abuse."
"If yo' let her out, take me outside with yo'," begged Jeff Hackberry."She'll kill me, sho', if I've to stay in here till mornin' with her.She begun by flingin' a bag o' red pepper in my face, and set us all tosneezin' until I thought the 'Squire'd sneeze his durned head off. Thenshe jobbed me with a bayonet, and acted as no woman orter act toward herlawful husband, no matter how long they'd bin
married, let alone theirweddin' night."
"Sorry, but it's agin all my principles to separate man and wife," saidShorty, as he moved to the puncheon trap-door and undid the hasp. "Youtook her for better or worse, and it's too early in the game to complainthat you found her a blamed sight worse than you took her for. You'reone now, you know, and must stay that way until death do you part."
Shorty lifted up the trap-door, and Si helped the woman out with somedifficulty. They expected a torrent of abuse, but she seemed limp andsilent, and sank down on the floor. The boys picked her up and laid heron the bed beside Jeff Hackberry. "She's fainted; she's dead. She's binsufferkated in that hole," said Jeff.
"No, yo' punkin-headed fool," she gasped. "I hain't dead, nor I hain'tfainted, nor I hain't{253} sufferkated. Yo'll find out when I git mywind back a little, I'm so full o' mad an' spite that I'm done tuckeredclean out. I'm clean beat, so clean beat that I hain't no words to fitthe 'casion. I've got t' lay still an' think an' gether up some."
"She's comin' to, Shorty," said Si. "It'll be pleasanter outside."
"You say you have been having unusually exciting times," said Si toRosenbaum, as the boys again seated themselves by the fire.
"Veil, I should say so," replied Rosenbaum with emphasis. "Do you knowthat General Bragg is the very worst man that ever lived?"
"All rebels are bad," said Shorty oracularly. "But I suppose that someare much worse than others. I know that the private soldiers are awful,and I suppose the higher you go the wuss they are. The Corporals arecussider than the privates, the Sergeants can give the Corporals pointsin devilishness, and so it goes on up until the General commanding anarmy must be one of the devil's favorite imps, while Jeff Davis is OldHorney's junior partner."
"No; it isn't that," said Rosenbaum. "I've known a good many rebelGenerals, unt some of them ain't really bad fellers, outside of theirrebelness. But old Bragg is a born devil. He has no more heart than arattlesnake. He actually loves cruelty. He'd rather kill men than not.I've seen plenty of officers who were entirely too willing to shootmen for little or nothing. General Bragg is the only man I ever saw whowould shoot men for nothing at all--just 'for example,' as he says,unt to make the others{254} afraid unt ready to obey him. He coollycalculates to shoot so many every month. If they've done anything todeserve it, all right. If they hain't, he shoots them all the same, justto 'preserve discipline.'"
Si and Shorty uttered exclamations of surprise at this cold-bloodedcruelty.
"I know it's hard to believe," said Rosenbaum, "but it's true all thesame, as anybody around his Headquarters will tell you. Jeff Davis knowsit unt approves it. He is the same kind of a man as General Bragg--nomore heart than a tiger, I have seen a good deal of the inside of therebel army, unt General Bragg is the coldest-blooded, cruelest man init or in the whole world. It's true that the men he orders shot aregenerally of no account, like our man Jeff Hackberry--but it's theprinciple of the thing that shocks me. He just takes a dislike to theway a man looks or acts, or the way he parts his hair, looks at him withhis steely-gray eyes, unt says coldly: 'Put him in the bull-pen.' Inthe bullpen the poor devil goes, unt the next time General Bragg getsan idea that the discipline of the army is running down, unt he muststiffen it up with a few executions, he orders all the men that happento be in the bull-pen taken out unt shot."
"Without any trial, any court-martial, any evidence against them?"gasped Si.
"Absolutely without anything but General Bragg's orders. It is like youread of in the books about those Eastern countries where the Sultan orother High-muk-a-muk says, 'Cut that man's head off,' unt the man'shead is cut off, unt no questions asked.{255} unt no funeral ceremoniesexcept washing up the blood."
"Lucky for you, Levi," said Shorty, "that he didn't have any of thecommon prejudices against Jews, and slap you in the bull-pen."
"O, but he did," said Rosenbaum. "He hated a Jew worse than any man Iever met. Unt it brought me so near death that I actually watched themdigging my grave.
"While I had my ups unt downs, unt some very narrow escapes," continuedRosenbaum, "when I first went inside Bragg's lines, I got along verywell generally. I played the peddler unt smuggler for the SouthernConfederacy in great shape, unt run them through a lot of gun-caps,quinine, medicines, unt so so on, unt brought in a great deal ofinformation which they found to be true. Some of dis General Rosecransgave me himself, for he is smart enough to know that if he wants hisSecret Service men to succeed he must give them straight goods to carryto the enemy.
"I brought in exact statements of what divisions, brigades unt regimentswere at this place unt that place, how many men was in them, who theircommanders were, unt so on. General Rosecrans would have these given me.It helped him in his plans to know just what information was reachingthe enemy, for he knew just how old Bragg would act when he had certainknowledge. If he knew that Sheridan with 6,000 men was at this place,with Tom Wood 10 miles away with 6,000 more, he would do a certainthing, unt Rosecrans would provide for it. The news that I brought inthe rebels could test by{256 } the reports they got from others, untthey always found mine correct.
"My work pleased the rebel Generals so well that they made me a Captainin their army, transferred me from Brigade Headquarters to Division, untthen to Corps Headquarters. I was given command of squads of scouts. Ican draw very well, unt I made good maps of the country unt the roads,with the positions of Yankee unt rebel forces. This was something thatthe other rebel spies could not do, unt it helped me lots. I was carefulto make copies of all these maps, unt they got to General Rosecrans'sHeadquarters.
"The other rebel spies got very jealous of me because I was promotedover them, unt they laid all sorts of plans to trip me up. They cameawful near catching me several times, but I was too smart for them, untcould outwit them whenever I got a pointer as to what they were up to.Once they watched me go to a hollow sycamore tree, which I used as apostoffice for Jim Jones to get the things I wanted to send to GeneralRosecrans. They found there maps I had made at Shelbyville, with thepositions of the rebel un Yankee forces unt the fortifications allshown.
"That was an awful close call, unt I could feel the rope tighteningaround my neck. But I kept my nerve, unt told a straight story. I saidthat that tree was my regular office where I kept lots of things that Iwas afraid to carry around with me when I was in danger of falling intothe Yankee hands, as I was every day when I was scouting. Luckily for meI had some other private things unt a lot of{257} Confederate money hidthere, too, which I showed them. They didn't more than half believe mystory, but they led me off, probably because they needed me so bad.
"I saw that the thing was only skimmed over, unt was ready to breakout again any minute worse than ever, unt I kept my eyes peeled all thetime. That's one reason why you have not seen me for so long. I didn'tdare send General Rosecrans anything or go near outside the rebel lines.I had to play very good, but I kept gathering up information for the daywhen I should make a final break unt leave the rebels for good.
"A week ago I was ordered to go up to General Bragg's Headquarters tohelp them with their maps unt reports. They had nobody there that coulddo the work, unt Jeff Davis, who always wants to know everything aboutthe armies, was bunching them up savagely for full information. Hewanted accurate statements about the Yankee strength unt positions,unt about the rebel strength unt positions, to see if he couldn't dosomething to pull the Yankees off of Pemberton at Vicksburg. Bragg'sAdjutant-General sent word through all the army for to find good rapidpenmen unt map-makers, unt I was sent up.
"The Adjutant-General set me to work under a fly near Headquarters, unthe was tickled almost to death with the way I did my work. Old Bragghimself used to walk up unt down near, growling unt cussing unt swearingat everything unt everybody. Once or twice the Adjutant-General calledhis attention to my work. Old Bragg just looked it over, grunted, untbored me through unt through with{258 } those sharp, cold, gray eyes ofhis. But I thought I was safe so long as I was at Headquarters, unt Igave a great stiff to
other Secret Service men who had been trying todown me.
OLD BRAGG USED TO WALK UP UNT DOWN, GROWLING UNT CUSSING.259]
"One morning old Bragg was in an awful temper--the worst I had everseen. Every word unt order was a cruelty to somebody. Finally, up comesthis Brad Tingle that you have inside. He is a sort of a half-spy--notbrains enough to be a real one, but with a good deal of courage untactivity to do small work. He had been sent by General Cheatham to carrysome papers unt make a report. Whatever it was, it put old Bragg in aworse temper than ever. Brad Tingle happened to catch sight of me, unthe said in a surprised way:
"'Why, there's that Jew I saw sitting in General Rosecrans's tenttalking to him, when I was playing off refugee Tennesseean in theYankee camps.'
"'What's that? What's that, my man?' said old Bragg, who happened tooverhear him.
"Brad Tingle told all he knew about me. Old Bragg turned toward me untgive me such a look. I could feel those cold, cruel eyes boring straightthrough me.
"'Certainly he is a Jew, unt one of old Rosecrans's best spies,' hesaid. 'Old Rosecrans is a Jew, a Dutch Jew, himself. I knowed him wellin the old army. He's got a regular Jew face. He plays off Catholic, butthat is to hide his Jewishness. He can't do it. That hook nose'd givehim away if nothing else did, unt he has got enough else. He likes tohave Jews about him, because he understands them better than he doeswhite people, unt{259} particularly he is fond of Jew spies. He cantrust them where nobody else can. They'll be true to him because he is aJew. Put that man in the bull-pen, unt shoot him with the rest to-morrowmorning.' "'Heavens,' gasped the Adjutant-General; 'he is{260} by farthe best man I ever had. I can't get along without him.'
"'You must get along without him,' said old Bragg. 'I'm astonished atyou having such a man around. Where in the world did you pick him up?But it's just like you. How in God's name Jeff Davis expects me tocommand an army with such makeshifts of staff officers as he sends me,I don't know. He keeps the best for old Lee unt sends me what nobodyelse'll have, unt then expects me to win battles against a better armythan the Army of the Potomac. I never got a staff officer that hadbrains once.'
"A Sergeant of the Provost Guard, who was a natural beast, unt was keptby old Bragg because he was glad to carry out orders to murder men,caught hold of me by my shoulder unt run me down to the bull-pen,leaving the Adjutant-General with forty expressions on his angry face.
"My goodness, my heart sunk worse than ever before when I heard the doorshut behind me. There were 30 or 40 others in the bull-pen. They wereall lying around--dull, stupid, sullen, silent, unt hopeless. Theyhardly paid any attention to me. I sat down on a log, unt my heartseemed to sink clear out of me. For the first time in my life I couldn'tsee the slightest ray of hope. Through the cracks in the bull-pen Icould see the fresh graves of the men who had already been shot, untwhile I looked I saw a squad of niggers come out unt begin diggingthe graves of those who were to be shot to-morrow. I could see rebelsoldiers unt officers passing by, stop unt look a moment at the graves,shrug their{261} shoulders, unt go on. It froze my blood to think thattomorrow they would be looking at my grave that way. After a while aman came in unt gave each one of us a piece of cornbread unt meat. Theothers ate theirs greedily, but I could not touch it. Night came on, untstill I sat there. Suddenly the door opened, unt the Adjutant-Generalcame in with a man about my size and dressed something like me. As hepassed he caught hold of my arm in a sort of way that made me understandto get up unt follow behind him, I did so at once without saying a word.I walked behind him around the bull-pen until we came back to the door,when the guard presented arms, unt he walked out, with me still behindhim, leaving the other man inside. After we had gone a little way hestopped unt whispered to me:
"'The General had to go off in a hurry toward War Trace this afternoon.He took the Provost-Sergeant unt part of his staff with him, but I hadto be left behind to finish up this work. I can't get anybody else to doit but you. I'm going to take you over to a cabin, where you'll be outof sight. I want you to rush that work through as fast as the Lord'lllet you. After you get it done you can go where you damned please, solong as you don't let the General set eyes on you. I've saved your life,unt I'm going to trust to your honor to play fair with me. Help me out,do your work right, unt then never let me see you again.'
"Of course, I played fair. I asked no questions, you bet, about the poordevil he had put in my place. I worked all that night unt all the nextday getting his papers in the best possible shape, unt in making{262}copies of them for General Rosecrans, which I stuck behind the chimneyin the cabin. Along in the morning I heard the drums beating as themen were marched out to witness the execution. It made my heart thumpa little, but I kept on scratching away with my pen for hfe unt death.Then the drums stopped beating for a while, unt then they begun again.Then I heard a volley that made me shiver all over. Then the drums beatas the men were marched back to their camps. If I had had time tothink I should have fainted. Towards evening I had got everything infirst-class shape. The Adjutant-General came in. He looked over thepapers in a very satisfied way, folded them up, checked off from a lista memorandum of the papers he had given me to copy unt compile, unt sawthat I had given them all back to him. Then he looked me straight in theeye unt said:
"'Now, Jew, there's no use of my saying anything to you. You heard thatvolley this morning, unt understood it. Never let me or the Generallay eyes on you again. You have done your part all right, unt I mine.Good-by.'
"He took his papers unt walked out of the cabin. As soon as he was goneI snatched the copies that I had hidden behind the chimney, stuck themhere unt there in my clothes, unt started for the outer lines.
"I made my way to a house where I knew I'd find some men who had scoutedwith me before. I knew they might be suspicious of me, but I could getthem to go along by pretending to have orders from Headquarters for ascout. I got to the house by morning, found some of them there, gatheredup some more{263} unt have been riding around all day, looking at theYankee lines, unt trying to find some way to get inside. I'm nearly deadfor sleep, but I must have these papers in General Rosecrans's handsbefore I close my eyes."
"Your horse is all right, isn't he?" asked Shorty.
"Yes, I think so," answered Rosenbaum.
"Well, we have a good horse here. I'll mount him and go with you tocamp, leaving Si and the rest of the boys here. I can get back to themby daylight."
So it was agreed upon.
Day was just breaking when Shorty came galloping back.
"Turn out, boys!" he shouted. "Pack up, and start back for camp as quickas you kin. The whole army's on the move."
"What's happened, Shorty?" inquired Si, as they all roused themselvesand gathered around.
"Well," answered Shorty, rather swelling with the importance of thatwhich he had to communicate, "all I know is that we got into camp alittle after midnight, and went direct to Gen. Rosecrans's Headquarters.Of course, the old man was up; I don't believe that old hook-nosedduffer ever sleeps. He was awful glad to see Rosenbaum, and gave usboth great big horns o' whisky, which Rosenbaum certainly needed, if Ididn't, for he was dead tired, and almost flopped down after he handedhis papers to the General. But the General wanted him to stay awake,and kept plying him with whisky whenever he would begin to sink, and, mygoodness, the questions he did put at that poor Jew.{264}
"I thought we knowed something o' the country out here around us, but,Jerusalem, all that we know wouldn't make a primer to Rosecrans's FifthReader. How were the bridges on this road? Where did that road lead to?How deep was the water in this creek? How many rebels were out there?Where was Bragg's cavalry? Where's his reserve artillery? And so on,until I thought he'd run a seine through every water-hole in that Jew'smind and dragged out the last minner in it. I never heard the sharpestlawyer put a man through such a cross-examination.
"Rosenbaum was equal to everything asked him, but it seemed to me thatGen. Rosecrans knowed a great deal more about what was inside the rebellines than Rosenbaum did.
All this time they was goin' over the papersthat Rosenbaum brung, and Old Rosey seemed tickled to death to git 'em.He told Rosenbaum he'd done the greatest day's work o' his life and madehis fortune.
"In the meantime the whole staff had waked up and gathered in the tents,and while the General was pumpin' Rosenbaum he was sending ordersto this General and that General, and stirrin' things up from Dan toBeersheba. Lord, you ought t've seen that army wake up. I wouldn't 'vemissed it for a farm. Everything is on the move--right on the jump.We're goin' for old Bragg for every cent we're worth, and we want togit back to the regiment as quick as our leg'll carry us. Hustle around,now."
"But what'er we goin' to do with our prisoners?" asked Si.
"Blast the prisoners!" answered Shorty with profane emphasis. "Let 'emgo to blue blazes, for all{265} that we care. We're after bigger gamethan a handful o' measly pennyroyal sang-diggers. We hain't no time tofool with polecats when we're huntin' bears. Go off and leave 'em here."
"That's all right," said Si, to whom an idea occurred. "Hustle around,boys, but don't make no noise. We'll march off so quietly that theywon't know that we're gone, and it'll be lots o' fun thinking whatthey'll do when they wake up and begin clapper-clawin' one another andwonderin' what their fate'll be."
END BOOK THREE
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