THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
^^^c^ 
 
 
Lieutenant Somers and (ho liebt-l Picket?. Ta^re 70. 
 
^Wi' 
 
THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; 
 
 OB, 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 
 
 g^ ^torjj of titj? ^xtU i«b«Ui«ftt. 
 
 BY 
 
 OLIYEK OPTIC, 
 
 ACTHOR OF "RICH AND HUMBLE," "IN SCHOOL AND OUT," "THE BOAT CLUB, 
 "ALL ABOARD," "NOW OR NEVER," " TRY AGAIN," "POOB AND PROUD," ' 
 "LITTLE BT LITTLE," "THE RIVERDALB STORT BOOKS," "THE 
 SOLDIER BOY," "THE SAILOS BOY," ETO. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, 
 
 SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAHP30X, & CO. 
 
 1865. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Mossachosetts. 
 
 ELECTEOTTPED BT 
 C. J. PETERS & SON, 
 
TO 
 
 WILLIAM U. MOULTON, ESQ., 
 
 Cbxs gook 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 T HIS FRIEND 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS. 
 
 602677 
 
THE ARJIY AND NAVY STORIES. 
 
 IN SIX VOLUMES. 
 BY OLIVER OPTIC. 
 
 I. 
 THE SOXiOIJEH BOY; 
 
 Or, Tom Sonxers in. the -A-rmy. 
 
 II. 
 THE ©^ILOR- BOY 5 
 
 Or, Jack Sorxiers in. the N'avy. 
 
 III. 
 TBCE YOrnVO 3L,IETJTEIVA]N'T ; 
 
 Or, The -A^dventures of an -A^rmy- Offi.oer. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO "THE SOLDIER BOY." 
 IV. 
 
 THE YAJVKIEE 3i:iI>r>Y 5 
 
 Or, The Jkdventures of a ISTaval Offi.oer. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO "THE SAILOR BOY." 
 (In Preparation.) 
 
 V. 
 
 FIGHTI]VO JOE; 
 
 Or, The Fortixnes of a Staff- Offl.cer. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO "THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT." 
 . (In Preparation.) 
 
 VI. 
 
 BH^YE OEI> S^lLiT; 
 
 Or, Ijife on the Qiaarter-IDeok:. 
 
 A SEQUEL TO "THE YANKEE MIDDY." 
 (In Preparation.) 
 
P R E r A C E. 
 
 This A'olume is a sequel to " The Soldier Bot ; " and, though 
 the leading character is the same in both books, there is no neces- 
 sary connection between them, each forming an independent story. 
 The material for the work, so far as its historical relations are con- 
 cerned, has been derived from authentic sources ; not from books 
 and papers only, but from intelligent and reliable persons who par- 
 ticipated in the stirring scenes of which they gave testimony. 
 
 The author especially acknowledges his indebtedness to Captain 
 "WiLLiAii V. MuNROE, late of the Eleventh Massachusetts Regi- 
 ment, for details of the Peninsular Campaign ; and to Captain 
 Hexrt N. Blake, author of " Three Years in the Army of 
 THE Potomac," for valuable information relative to the movements 
 of Greneral Hooker's Division. 
 
 Like " The Soldier Boy," this book is a narrative of personal 
 adventure, rather than a connected historical account of the opera- 
 tions before Richmond ; though, so far as positions and movements 
 of the army are introduced, they are based upon reliable informa- 
 tion. If any of the incidents of the story seem strange and improb- 
 able, the writer respectfully suggests, that, since the passage of the 
 Union officers through the tunnel under Libby Prison ; since the de- 
 struction of the " Albemarle " by Lieutenant Cushing and his party ; 
 and since the experience of scores of Union prisoners escaped from 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 rebel campa and dungeons, recorded and nnrecorded, has become 
 known, — since these things have occxxrred, — nothing connected 
 with the Great Rebellion ought to be deemed strange or improbable. 
 The flattering success which has attended " The Soldier Boy " 
 and "The Sailor Boy," and the author's personal interest in 
 the Somers Family, have induced him to announce two additional 
 volumes of " The Army and Navy Stories." With these ex- 
 planations, he submits the third volume of the series to the consid- 
 eration of his readers, young and old : hoping it will merit the same 
 kindness that has been bestowed upon the preceding volumes. 
 
 WILLLVM T. ADAJSIS. 
 Dorchester, April 30, 1865. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE PAGB 
 
 I. Captain de Bantan and Othkes 11 
 
 II. The Senator's Daughter 21 
 
 III. A Friend at Court 31 
 
 IV. The Fire of Temptation 42 
 
 V. On the Skirmish Line 53 
 
 VI. The Kebel Sharpshooters 63 
 
 VII. An Expedition in Front 73 
 
 VIII. An Order from Headquarters 84 
 
 IX. Lieutenant Somers changes his Na^ie and Charac- 
 ter 96 
 
 X. Allan Garland and Friends 107 
 
 XI. The Virginia Maiden 120 
 
 XII. The Dignified Young Rebel 132 
 
 XIII. An Unexpected Arrival 144 
 
 XIV. The Rebel Division-General 157 
 
 XV. The Sharpshooter in the Woods 170 
 
 XVI. Return to the Camp 182 
 
 XVII. Glendale and Malvern Hills 194 
 
 XVIII. Lieutenant Somers has a new Sensation 206 
 
 XIX. Over the River 219 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHJIPTXR PAOK 
 
 XX. Captain de Banyax finds an Old Friend 231 
 
 XXI. The Third Tennessee 243 
 
 XXII. The Rebel. Farm-House 254 
 
 XXin. The Man in the Chimney 266 
 
 XXIY. A Broken Bargain 277 
 
 XXV. Somers is compelled to back out 290 
 
 XXVI, A Night in Petersburg 302 
 
 XXVII. A Friend indeed .• 314 
 
 XXVIII. Dr. Scoville's Patient 327 
 
 XXIX. De Bantan at Work 341 
 
 XXX. Another Commission 354 
 
 XXXI. Washington, Boston, and Pinchbbook 367 
 
THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT. 
 
THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OE AN ARMY OEEICER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CAPTAIN DE BANYAN AND OTHERS. 
 
 BEG- your pardon, sir ; but I see, by the num- 
 ber 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 
 
 11 
 
12 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 shoulder-straps. Permit ftie to offer you my hand ; and 
 allow me to add, that it is a hand which was never sul- 
 lied 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 lieu- 
 tenant, who was completely bewildered by the elegant 
 and courtly speech of his new-found friend. 
 
 K 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 Massa- 
 chusetts. 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 imper- 
 illed country in her death-grapple with treason and trai- 
 tors. 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 in- 
 jury 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 
 
 'dl 
 
THE ADVEXrURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. V6 
 
 which culminated in the seven-days' battles before Rich- 
 mond. 
 
 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 jour- 
 neyed to the battle-fields of a nation's ruin or salvation. 
 He thought of the bloody scenes before him, of the bless- 
 ed 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 sanc- 
 tuary of his heart. 
 
 Lieutenant Somers was an exceedingly good-looking 
 young man, which, as it was no fault of his own, we do 
 
14 THE YOU NO LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 not object to mention. He was clothed in his new uni- 
 form, 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 re- 
 markable, 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 mon- 
 strosities. He had paid proper attention to this ornamen- 
 tal 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 weU 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 tAvo 
 or three times, to keep within the limits of a modest 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMT OFFICER. 15 
 
 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 pro- 
 pensity. Lieutenant Somers had studied the faces of all 
 the passengers near him, and had arrived at the conclu- 
 sion that the lady's protector was a gentleman of conse- 
 quence. 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 \\dthout 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." 
 
16 THE TOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 stir- 
 ring 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 do^^^l a Russian who threatened to bay- 
 onet me, a cannon-ball struck the but of my gun " — 
 
 " Your gun?" 
 
 " The handle of my sword, I should have said, and 
 snapped it off like a pipe-stem." 
 
THE ADVf:NTURES OF AN ^IBMY OFFICER. 17 
 
 " But didn't it snap your hand oif 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 the skin." 
 
 " That was very remarkable," added Lieutenant 
 Somers, who could not see, for the life of him, how a can- 
 non-ball could hit the handle of the sword without in- 
 juring 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 like yourself, Somers, I 
 am a modest man ; in fact, every brave man is necessa- 
 rily 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 hap- 
 pened. I was in the heavy artillery there. The bullet 
 of the Russian " — 
 
 " The Russian ! AMiy, I thought the battle of Ma- 
 genta was fought between the Austrians and the French." 
 
 " You are right, my boy. The bullet of the Austrian, 
 I should have raid, passed through my left lung, struck 
 the cannon behind me, bounded back, and, hitting me 
 2 
 
18 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 again, passed through my right King. AVhen it came out, 
 it hit my musket, and dropped upon the ground. I 
 picked it up, and have it at home now." 
 
 " AVhew ! " added Lieutenant Somers in a low whis- 
 per. "It's quite warm to-day," lie 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 Xapoleon, 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 Em- 
 peror 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 w^ant 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 delica- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 19 
 
 cies 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 live 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. smok- 
 ing-car, and have a cigar." 
 
 " I thank you : I never smoke.*' 
 
 ''Ah! you are worse than a hot potato. But lam 
 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 dis- 
 appeared, 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 
 
20 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 and voluble person, and Somers had enjoyed the inter- 
 view ; 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 proba- 
 ble that he would have been hurled into an unhappy state 
 of scepticism, 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, w^ere suddenly ushered into eternity, or 
 maimed and maniiled for life. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE senator's DArGHTER. 
 
 /^■^ SCENE terrible beyond tlie power of descriptiou 
 71 was presented to the gaze of Lieutenant Somers 
 ^^^V" when he recovered his scattered senses. The 
 — car had been literally -vNTenched to pieces, and 
 
 the passengers were partially buried beneath the frag- 
 ments. Our traveller was stunned by the shock, and 
 made giddy by the wild vaulting of the car as it leaped 
 down the embankments 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 any thing 
 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 ; 
 % 
 
22 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 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 bat- 
 tle. With desperate eagerness, he raised the heavy frag- 
 ment which was crowding out the young life of the 
 tender form, and bore it aw^ay, 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 
 
THE ADVENTUIiES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 23 
 
 her, aud 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 in- 
 vaded 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 ex- 
 istence, without a mother or even a father near to receive 
 her last gaze of 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 aban- 
 don 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 
 
24 THE YOUNG LIE V TENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 cliafe till the gentle stranger 
 opened her eyes. In a few moments more she recovered 
 her consciousness, and cast a bewildered glance around 
 her. 
 
 ""WTiere 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 do\\Ti the rail- 
 road. 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 des- 
 tination. 
 
 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 dehris 
 of the train — before the engine could be stopped, and 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF AX J^^fY OFFICER. 25 
 
 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 
 sati:?t]ed that he was safe. 
 
 " He will be here presently," he replied to the anxious 
 question of the fair stranger. 
 
 "Perhaps he Avas — oh, dear ! Perhaps he was" — 
 
 " Oh, no ! he wasn't. The smoking-car was not thrown 
 oti' the track," interposed the young officer, promptly re- 
 moving from her mind the terrible fear which took pos- 
 session 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 traveller, 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 fem- 
 inine weakness. 
 
 " It might have been worse, certainly. Can I do any 
 thing more for you ? " added Lieutenant Somers, glancing 
 
26 THE YOUXG LTEUTENANT; OH, 
 
 at the 'v\Tcck of the cars, ^ilh 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 Avreck. 
 
 " 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 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 2t 
 
 ■walked witli 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 suflfering parent. 
 
 " My poor Emmie ! " exclaimed the anxious father 
 Avheu they reached the spot, while he knelt down upon 
 the grass by her side, the tears coursing in torrents down 
 his pale cheek. 
 
 " 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 w^ere rapidly 
 taken from the pile of ruins, and placed in the cars on 
 the road ; and there was no longer any thing for the young 
 officer to do. He returned to the grassy couch of her 
 whom he could not but regard as peculiarly his patient. 
 
28 THE YOUXG LIEV TENANT ; OR, 
 
 The father liad 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 daugh- 
 ter is still alive, I am very grateful to you for the care 
 you have bestowed upon her," said the father, as ho 
 grasped the young officer's hand. 
 
 '' You may well thank him, Mr. Guilford," said one of 
 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 niore 
 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. Plow 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 cany her up to the train, sir," said the young 
 officer. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 29 
 
 " I thank you, sir," said Emmie with a smile ; •' but 
 I thiuk I can walk." 
 
 " AVcll," said the gentleman who had spoken before, 
 " I saw him cany 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 fiither and 
 Lieutenant Somers then made a " hand-chair," and bore 
 her up to the car, in which she was as comfortably dis- 
 posed 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, m 
 return, the gentleman gave him his address. 
 
30 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 obliga- 
 tions to me for w^hat I have done. I couldn't have helped 
 doing it if I had tried." 
 
 " Lieutenant Somers, you are in luck," said the gentle- 
 man who had complimented him before. " That is Sen- 
 ator Guilford, of' ; and he will make a brigadier- 
 general of you before you are a year older." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 31 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A FRIEND AT COURT. 
 
 flEUTENANT SOMERS sat down in one corner 
 of the car, near the seats occupied by Miss Guil- 
 ford 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 pur- 
 pose 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 Avhich 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 
 
32 TUE YOUNG LIEU TENANT; OR, 
 
 fighting officer ; and the idea of working his way up to 
 distinction by the favor of a member of Congress was re- 
 pulsive 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 w^hich had 
 transpired, and the senator's patronizing offer, he saw 
 Captain de Banyan enter the forward door of the cars, 
 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 oysm. " 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 sym- 
 pathize with you ; for I am a modest man myself. I 
 didn't get over blushing for three weeks after his impe- 
 rial 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 gi'eat many 
 battles, and I get them mixed up a little sometimes. But 
 you are in luck, Somers," continued the captain in a 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 33 
 
 lower toue, as lie seated himself by the side of his fellow- 
 officer. 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " They say she is the daughter of a senator." 
 
 "What of that?" 
 
 " AVTiat of that ! Why, my dear fellow, you are as 
 innocent as a schoolgirl. Don't you see he can get you 
 on some general's staif, and have you promoted every time 
 there is a skirmish ? " 
 
 " I don't want to be promoted unless I earn it." 
 
 " Of coiu-se 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 in- 
 troduce 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/' 
 
34 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OH, 
 
 " 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 briga- 
 dier of you in less than a year. It's a good thing to 
 think so ; but " — 
 
 " I don't think so. That Avould be modesty with a 
 vengeance." 
 
 " I was a sentimental boy like you once, and I was 
 just as certain that I shoidd 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 Cri- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 35 
 
 mea," iuterposed 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 com- 
 mand 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 
 capta-in there who didn't know any more about military 
 than a swine does about Lord Chesterfield's table eti- 
 quette. 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- 
 
36 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 Ban- 
 yan. "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 circum- 
 stances, 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 Avho 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 fel- 
 low I served with in the Crimea." 
 
 "Ah ! were you in the Crimea?" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 37 
 
 " I was, sir ; and he looks very much like Captain de 
 Waite, whom I saw made a major on the field of Ma- 
 genta, 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, be- 
 fore 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. Ilolman," — that was the gentleman who had spoken 
 so handsomely of him, — " I feel sure that I owe my life 
 to you." 
 
38 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 "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 excit- 
 ing chapter in a sensation 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 Em- 
 mie'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 should like to see him- 
 self 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 INIr. Guilford's whenever he hap- 
 pened to be at the capital, which was entirely satisfactory 
 to the young lady. Though Emmie was by this time 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 39 
 
 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. Guil- 
 ford, 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 de- 
 clined. 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 pro- 
 posed, as they were obliged to remain in the city over 
 night, that they should stop at the " Fifth Avenue," 
 declaring 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 lieuten- 
 ant mentioned a small hotel, down town, 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 patron- 
 age of Senator Guilford. 
 
 After supper. Captain de Banyan proposed that they 
 
40 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 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 metaphori- 
 cal 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 par- 
 ticipated in that memorable action,"* he continued, read- 
 ing 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, nee^s 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 ? " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMT OFFICER. 41 
 
 " 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 of 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. 
 
4:2 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FIRE OF TEIVrPTATION. 
 
 ^^^APTAIN DE BANYAN sauntered gracefully 
 /I up the saloon, with Somers at his side. He 
 \^|y 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 sensa- 
 tion ; 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 magni- 
 ficence 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 fre- 
 quenters of the saloon who were disposed to prolong the 
 enjoyment of their drams discussed "juleps," " cobblers," 
 and other villanous 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 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF A^ ARMY OFFICER. 43 
 
 endcavoriug to seem iiHlilferent. aud at home. I am sorry 
 to say he "vvas 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 imsullied by contact with the vices and follies 
 of the city. He half expected that some of the disso- 
 lute young wretches Avho were drinking, swearing, and 
 pouring the filth of a poisoned mind from their lips, would 
 ask him if " his mother kneiv he w^as out." He tried to 
 maintain his self-possession, and to seem at home where 
 ruin was riotino^ in the souls of young men. If he did 
 not entirely succeed, it Avas 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 ! TVhat ^\\\\ you drink ? " 
 
 " Nothing, thank you. I've just been to supper, and 
 don't want any thing." 
 
 " 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." 
 
44 TEE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OS, 
 
 "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 Mion't 
 take you long. Your case is exactly my own. I Avas 
 about your age Avlien 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 admira- 
 tion 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 lordsliip, 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, a light, sweet 
 wine ; and, my dear fellow, you shall begin with the same, 
 and we will drink the health of Senator Guilford and liis 
 fair daughter. "Waiter, one brandy-smash and one Sicily 
 Madeira." 
 
 " Really, Captain de Banyan, you must excuse me," 
 stammered Somers, completely bewildered by the elo- 
 quent and insinuating manners of his brilliant com- 
 panion, who had spoken loud enough to attract the at- 
 tention 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 ; 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 45 
 
 ■which was iiDthiug less than to overcome the conscien- 
 tious scruples of the young officer. He had spoken loud 
 enough to attract the attention of these miserable tipplers, 
 that Somers might be overawed by their presence, and in- 
 timidated by their sneers, and thus compelled to taste the 
 intoxicating cup. The squad of fast men who had taken 
 positions near the table Avere interested in the scene, and 
 impatient to see the pure soul tumbled from its lofty emi- 
 nence. 
 
 *' 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 w^as embarrassed at his position, and be- 
 wildered by the dashing speeches of his companion. A 
 dozen pair of leering eyes Avere fixed upon him ; a dozen 
 mouths were A\Tinkled 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, — 
 
46 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 Avhich had 
 spoken to him a thousand times before in the perils' and 
 temptations through "svhich he had passed, " you have 
 behaved yourself very well thus far. You have been 
 promoted for bravery on the battle-field ; and now will 
 you cower in the presence of this brilliant brawler, and 
 these weak-minded, cowardly tipplers? ^Miat 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 Em- 
 mie Guilford in such a place as this ? You should have 
 smote the lips that mentioned her name in such a pres- 
 ence ! " 
 
 He drew back his hand from the glass. His muscles 
 tightened up, as they had on the bloody field of Williams- 
 burg. Tom Somers was himself again. 
 
 " Come, Somers, you don't drink," added the captain 
 sarcastically. 
 
 " No, I thank you ; I never drink," he answered reso- 
 lutely, as he cast a steady glance of pity and contempt at 
 the bloated crew who had been revelling in his embarrass- 
 ment. 
 
 " You won't refuse now ? " 
 
 " Most decidedly." 
 
 " Lieutenant Somers, I took you for a young man of 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 47 
 
 pluck. I'm disappoiuted. 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 cap- 
 tain 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 "vvith 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 
 
48 ^-H^ YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 Avord " gentlemen " created a decided sensation among 
 the group of idlers ; and, as be stepped from behind the 
 table, he was confronted by a young man with blood- 
 shot eyes and bloated cheeks, but dressed in the ex- 
 treme 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 re- 
 minded him of a belligerent little bantam-rooster that 
 paraded the barnyard of his mother's cottage at Pinch- 
 brook ; but he was prudent enough not to give any further 
 cause of offence. 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 defence 
 of the dignity of his friends. " You can't go without an 
 apolog}'-, 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 any thing to do with 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 49 
 
 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, and 
 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 apolo- 
 gize 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 
 
50 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 sin- 
 gular 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 Fremont's 
 staff." 
 
 " "Were you, indeed? Whew ! " 
 
 "What maybe 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." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 51 
 
 " 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 Fremont, by going to sleep before the eloquent 
 " participant " had got half-way through the exordium. 
 Lieutenant Somers listened attentively until he. was satis- 
 fied that Colonel Staggerback either was not in the battle, 
 or that he had escorted "Bull-Run Russell" off the field. 
 
 "WTien 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 
 
52 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 Avas still in condition to look his mother in the face. 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 53 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ON THE SKIRMISH LINE. 
 
 'N the morning our travellers 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 ; arriv- 
 ing at Washington in the evening. Captain de Banyan 
 again proposed to "go round ;" which, rendered into un- 
 mistakable English, meant to visit the drinking-houses 
 and gambling-saloons of the city, to say nothing of worse 
 places. Lieutenant Somers had gro^^^l wise by experi- 
 ence ; and no amount of persuasion could induce him to 
 leave the hotel. It was horrible to him to think of 
 
54 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 
 fibre of his moral nature was firmly set against the 
 vices which lured on his reckless companion. 
 
 Lieutenant Somers staid 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 incli- 
 nation 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 Wliite-oak Swamp. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX AltMT OFFICER. 55 
 
 " 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 extraor- 
 dinary 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 briga- 
 dier 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 allers 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." . 
 
56 THE TO UNO LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 trans- 
 pired 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 forrays 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 battle-field. 
 
 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 
 £ver, 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 com- 
 mand ; but who he was, where he came from, and how 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 57 
 
 he had procured his commission, was a mystery to offi- 
 cers and men. lie 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 Chepultepec, 
 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 percep- 
 tion and abundant self-possession, lie was competent at 
 once to perform his duties as an officer. He had no vices 
 to be criticised by the men, who respected him not only 
 for his bravery on the battle-field, 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 bril- 
 liant 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 ulti- 
 mate failure of a hopeful campaign. The victory at 
 
58 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 dowTi 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 overthro-wni : 
 for not yet had the leaven of Liberty leavened the whole 
 lump ; not yet had the purposes of a mysterioys Provi- 
 dence been accomplished ; and the brave men who sighed 
 for victory and peace in the swamps of the Chickahom- 
 iny 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 
 
THE ADVEXTUBES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 59 
 
 army. He felt that the salvation of his country de- 
 pended 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 XFune. 
 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. 
 
 Impres.s^d by the responsibility of his position, Lieu- 
 tenant 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." 
 
 " Yqu 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. 
 
60 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 "Nervous? Do you thiuk I'm a coward?" demanded 
 Somers. 
 
 "' I know you are not ; but you might be a little ner- 
 vous for all that." 
 
 At that instant, the sharp crack of a single rifle was 
 heard, and Somers Qbserved a slight jerk in the brim 
 of tlie 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 Solferiuo. 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.'jpoke, 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 b^ick 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." 
 
YUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 61 
 
 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 com- 
 menced. " 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 levelled 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 Avork was in prog- 
 ress 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 
 
62 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 toAvards them. 
 
 '' AVhat d'yer say, iTank?" 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 invita- 
 tion, and were disarmed, ready to be sent to the rear. 
 
# 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF AN AllMY OFFICE Ji. 63 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE REBEL SHARPSHOOTERS. 
 
 .lEUTENANT SOMERS, I don't tllink 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. "Pm subject to sich turns, but alius 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, 
 
% 
 
 64 THE TOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 1" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. G5 
 
 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 in- 
 valid 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- 
 
66 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 two hours under a fierce fire of grape and canister, to 
 say nothing of musketry." 
 
 " Forty-two hours ! " excUiimed 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 liappy 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 benedic- 
 tions, 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 ADVEXTUUES OF .iN ARMY OFFICER. 67 
 
 the field iu good style, ^vith 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 iu 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 Talestro ! " 
 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 ditficult question could be settled. Captain 
 de Banyan was ordered to take a sufficient force, and 
 drive out the rebels who were s-kulking behind the old 
 house. 
 
 " Somers, you shall go witli 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 any thing, big or little, captain," re- 
 plied Somers heartily. " A\'hat 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." 
 
68 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " I will do the best I can, captain." 
 
 '' Angels could 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 preplexed 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. Ha 
 
I 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICEIl. 69 
 
 thereibro ordered his meu to take oil' their coats, Avhich 
 some of them had done belbre they started oa the expe- 
 dition. The bhie trousers could uot be so easily disposed 
 of; but as some of the boys had straw hats, some felt, 
 and some caps, it would have been liard to determine 
 what they were at the distance of a quarter of a mile, 
 especially as some of the Confederates wore the plun- 
 dered 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 Avheat-field, he' 
 foncied 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 
 hand^s 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 dis- 
 tance 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 any 
 thing without standing up ; and, as he was within twenty 
 rods" of the house, it was necessary to avoid exposing 
 himself. 
 
I 
 
 70 THE YOUXa LIEUTEXAXT; OR, 
 
 From whatever source tlie sounds j)rocecMlcd, it was 
 just as safe to advance as it was to retreat ; and lie 
 decided to go forward. AVitli the utmost caution, he con- 
 tinued to creep along througli 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 Avith an unmistakable Southern accent. 
 
 " I tell you, more of our fellers is coming through the 
 grain. You mought hear 'em, cf you weren't deafcr'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 I " 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 che\Ton of a sergeant on his arms, trying to 
 stare him out of countenance. T!ie fellow did not look 
 Avholesome ; and Somers was in doubt Avhether to blow his 
 brains out, or let things take their natural course. 
 
 " ^Yho mought you be?" demanded the grayback, ex- 
 hibiting more of 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. « 
 
THE ADVEXTUnEf^ OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 71 
 
 '^1 see you arc ; Jiud 1 suppose you belong to tl:e army, 
 don't you?" 
 
 " Bet yer 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." 
 
 '' 'Taint 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 your 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. Your uns allers cheat 
 playiu' 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'u 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 
 your uns can jest lick one of our uns." 
 
 "That's good logic. Will you surrender, or fight?" 
 demanded Somers. 
 
 " Let me count yer men. I surrender," he continued, 
 
72 THE YOUXG LIEUTEXAXT ; OB, 
 
 after he had stood up, and coiuitcd the Uuiou soldiers. 
 " Here's my shooter : fair play, even with Yanks." 
 
 Leaving a guard of eight men with liis prisoners when 
 they were disarmed, Somers hastened forward to com- 
 plete his mission. 
 
THE ADVKNTUliES OF AN ARMY OF 11 (Eli. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 AN EXPEDITION IN FRONT. 
 
 C 
 
 'HE 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 con- 
 cealment 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. 
 
74 THE YOUXn LIEUTEXJNT ; OB, 
 
 The lieiitenaut Iwul but fifteen men left to execute liis 
 part of tlie sclicme, and there seemed to be double tliat 
 uumber of graybacks lurking iu and about the house. 
 Every thing 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 cliances 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 inro 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 a.t the head of his men. 
 
 The rebels were not disposed to accept this polite invi- 
 tation, 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. 
 
Tiin 
 
 ADVEXTVUES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 75 
 
 *' Surrender ! " shouted Lieutenant Somers, as the re- 
 treating rebels approached his line. 
 
 They hahed at this unexpected summons. The officer 
 in command oi" 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 d restive 
 
 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 club- 
 bing 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 
 
76 THE YOUXn LIEUTENAXT; OR, 
 
 Soracrs had not been a "master of I'cucc," Voiild prob- 
 ably have run him through the body. Some liai-d blows 
 were struck with these weapons, and the age of chivalry, 
 Avhen men fought hand to hand Avith 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 o\\Tier 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 for- 
 tress, 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 defenceless 
 state. 
 
 That was a bad mistake on his part ; for the rebel 
 officer at once proceeded to prove that he was no effemi- 
 nate character, who depended upon a sword, pistol, or 
 other w^eapon, 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 im- 
 paired his aim, and the ball whistled harmlessly over the 
 
THE AnVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 77 
 
 licad of the rebel. Tlie 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 but 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 gray- 
 backs. 
 
 lie 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, sati:^- 
 fied 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 tlie house. 
 
78 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 Avliitlicr they were followed by the remainder of the 
 force. 
 
 " Somers, my dear fellow, give me your hand," said 
 Captain de Banyan, as soon as tlie pressing business of 
 tlie 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 tlie 
 knees, you couldn't very well have obeyed orders. 
 Somers, you have done a big thing ; and, in my judg- 
 ment, 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 hedge- 
 hog. By the way, Somers, don't you suppose that Sena- 
 tor Guilford Avill hear of this aflTair?" 
 
 " I hope not." 
 
 '• Xor that little lady we left all used up with a broken 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF AX AliMV OFFICE li. 79 
 
 '^ I don't care whether she does or not." 
 
 " Or that other little ladv who knits socks for soldiers 
 that don't rim 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 some- 
 thing more on this interesting subject, if the conversation 
 had not been interrupted by their arrival at the old 
 house. Here tliey 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 tlie line in the woods, where our party were 
 warmly congratulated upon their decided success. The 
 Ijrigade fell back, but were immediately ordered forward 
 agaiu, and held the advance 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 com- 
 menced his long-deferred operations against the city of 
 liichmond. But the favorable moment had passed by, 
 
80 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 and even then tlie 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 triymphal march into 
 the rebel capital was changed into a bloody but glorious 
 retreat. The battles wdiich were to be fought for a victo- 
 rious advance were made to cover a disastrous defeat, — 
 disastrous to the campaign, though not to the arm}'. 
 
 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 pres- 
 tige of victory dwelt in the souls of the gallant soldiers. 
 The officers were not familiar with the ground ; and with 
 difficulty they found their w^ay back to the old line. 
 
 " Well, Somers, how do you feel?" asked Captain de 
 Banyan W'hen 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 Rich- 
 mond in less than a week, and then we wuU take rooms 
 at the Spottswood House, and have a good time." 
 
 " Do you believe we shall ever get into Richmond, 
 captain ? " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 81 
 
 *' Certainly 1 do. Every tliiug 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 ' ! Ton my word, I like that," 
 laughed the captain. " Why, at Magenta " — 
 
 '* Magenta again ! " sneered Somers, w^ho was heartily 
 sick of that Avord. 
 
 '' Yes, at Magenta ! If you could only have heard the 
 guns there ! Why, there were seven thousand two hun- 
 dred 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 cap- 
 tain 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." 
 c 
 
82 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " To be perfectly candid with you, I don't believe it ; 
 but I am tired, and waut 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 oliicer in the regiment Avho believes you were 
 there." 
 
 "Isn't the word of an officer and a gentleman to be 
 accepted ? " 
 
 " Certainly, if he keep within the bounds of reason ; 
 but when you talk about the Russians at Magenta, and 
 over seven thousand cannons in a single ai-my, 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 posi- 
 tively ridiculous. You said Russians " — 
 
 " Of course, that was a slip of the tongue, I meant 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 83 
 
 l*riissiaQS," added the captain, entirely overwhelmed by 
 the lieutenant's arithmetic, as well as by the laughter of 
 Captain Benson and Lieutenant Muuroe, who belonged 
 to the mess. 
 
 '"Worse yet," said Somers. "They were Austrians. 
 Now, captain, you are a brave man, and a splendid fel- 
 low ; 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." 
 
84 THE YOUyG LIEUTENANTi OR, 
 
 CHAPTER vm. 
 
 AN ORDER FROM HEADQUARTERS. 
 
 (^X^|(^V^ A . IIILE Captain de Banyan and Lieutenant 
 Somers were asleep, the commanding gen- 
 eral received 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 Avas 
 fought the battle of Gaines's Mills, — the only defeat in 
 the field sustained by the Union army during that bat- 
 tle-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 be 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 victo- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 85 
 
 rioiis, auJ fought as no troops had ever fouirht 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 be- 
 longed went on picket every third day. While the tre- 
 mendous operations to w^hich we have briefly alluded 
 were taking place on the right, the soldiers on the left 
 v/ere 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 breast- 
 works ; 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 th.e 
 illness of the captain and the absence of the first lieu- 
 tenant, was in command of his company. But there was 
 no chance to do any thing to distinguish himself, except 
 that steady and patient attention to duty which is the 
 constant opportunity of every good officer. 
 
 " AYell, captain, w^as there any thing like this at Ma- 
 genta?" asked Somers, as he met de Banyan. 
 
 " This is tame, Somers. Magenta was a lively 
 scene." 
 
86 TIIE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " I fimcj it will not remain tame much longer. We 
 shall either be in Richmond as victors or prl. oners 
 -within a few days." 
 
 "Don't croak, Somers. Jt 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 Sol- 
 ferino. 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 chal- 
 lenge him on the spot," added the captain, throwing back 
 his head, and looking dignified enough to be the com- 
 mander-in-chief. 
 
 " You may challenge me if you please ; but let us be 
 serious for a moment." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 87 
 
 '' I am serious, and have ])ecn 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." 
 
 " la 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 
 Avretched 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?" 
 
88 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 "I decline to answer one Avho doubts my veracity. 
 If I answered you in the afTirmutivc, you would nc)t 
 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 olficer who cast an im- 
 putation upon my Avord. 'SYe fought, and he fell. His 
 brother challenged mc 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 tliink it 
 was fifteen : I don't remember the exact numbei*, but I 
 could tell by referring to my diary. You are so precise 
 and particular, tliat I want to give you the facts just 
 as they are." 
 
 " Y"ou 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. 
 
THE ADVEXTVUES OF AX AUMY OFFICER. -89 
 
 " Now, seriously and solemnly, Somers, this doubtin;]^ 
 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 arc re- 
 sponsible for the fact, not I. If you would only tell the 
 truth" — 
 
 '' Tell the truth ! My dear felloAv, you keep makin^^ 
 the matter worse, instead of better." 
 
 '' So do you ; for, instead of abandoning your bad liabit, 
 you tell me an absurd story about killing fifteen men i:i 
 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 be- 
 lieve you killed even a single person in a duel. You are 
 too good a fellow to do any 'thing of the sort." 
 
 '' Somers, I have been laboring to keep my temper ; 
 but I am afraid you will make me mad, if you keep ou. 
 I think we had better suspend this conversation before it 
 leads to any unhappy residts ; " 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." 
 
90 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "Really, captain, you injure yourself by tlii-; liabit, 
 and " — 
 
 Captain de Banyan, at this point of the conversation, 
 suddenly turned round, and sprang upon the lieutenant, 
 bearing hina to the ground before the latter could even 
 make a movement in self-defence. 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 knoAvs, 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 tliat 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 use- 
 ful lesson ; but you don't know Avho your best friends 
 are." 
 
 "I think I do. Some of them tell the truth some- 
 times." 
 
 " 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. 
 
THE ADVENTUIiEF! OF f.V Jli.^fY OFFTCEIi. 91 
 
 '' I do." 
 
 *' I only pulled you down to keep thtit rillc-ball IVoin 
 going through your head. I saw a rebel picket through 
 the trees, ready to fire at us. The ball struck the tree be- 
 fore we struck the ground." 
 
 "Forgive me, captain. I did not understand the move- 
 ment," replied Somers, extending his hand. 
 
 " T\"ith all my heart," replied the captain, taking the 
 proftered 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 mc 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 Avhite lies. 
 Now, captain, don't you think you exaggerate some- 
 times ? " 
 
 " "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 con- 
 fine 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. 
 
92 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 Just after the battle of Magenta, ^vliilc 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 Som- 
 ers. 
 
 "Hopeless?" 
 
 " Why, you have told the biggest story that has passed 
 your lips to-day." 
 
 "What, about the cannon?" 
 
 "Two hundred or three hundred! Wliy, your regi- 
 ment 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 exa"r;2:era- 
 tion. 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 batte- 
 ries ; and " — 
 
 " Oh, confound your statistics ! " exclaimed the captain 
 impatiently. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 93 
 
 " But Statistics enable ns to see the truth. Nov/, cap- 
 taiu, at the battle of Bunker Hill, I saw a man " — 
 
 '' You?" demanded Captain de Banyan. 
 
 " I said so." 
 
 '' AVere you at the battle of Bunker Hill?" 
 
 " Didu'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 head- 
 quarters," 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 mo- 
 ments 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 lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
94 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "Don't you, indeed ? " added the captain with a smile. 
 ''Don't you know wliat 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 olF, with his little force, 
 to report as he had been directed. He knew his men 
 Avell enougli 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 OAvn 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 tlicui 
 myself." 
 
 " Good ! " exclaimed the general. "But I assure you 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AHMY OFFICER. 95 
 
 and Senator Guilford that no man in this division of the 
 army will get a position he does not deserve. I assure 
 you, Lieutenant Somcrs, I should have tlirowu tlie sena- 
 tor'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 
 dilRcult and dangerous scouting expedition. 
 
 " Before sundown you will be a prisoner in Richmond, 
 or a first lieutenant," added the general as Somers with- 
 drew. 
 
96 TILE YOUNG LIEUTESA^T i OR 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LIEUTENANT SOMERS CHANGES HIS NAME AND 
 CHARACTER. 
 
 (V^rVIKE the major-generals in the army, Lieutenant 
 ^1 Somers had strong aspirations in the direction 
 / ■^'' of an independent command. Like those dis- 
 tinguished -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 withhi 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 marvellous 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 Avorld, the propri- 
 etors would blushingly disown and disclaim them. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 97 
 
 Still, almost every live man and boy gives the reins to 
 his fancy ; and in the Army of the Potomac, Ave will 
 venture to say, there were a hundred thousand privates 
 and oHicers Avho 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 Avhile he felt that he was utterly incom- 
 petent 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 w^as 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 Ash- 
 ford 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, w^e have 
 made all this explanation to show how Somers had pre- 
 pared himself to accomplish some great thing. The 
 mission with which he had been intrusted w'as an im- 
 portant one ; and the safety of the whole left wing of the 
 army might depend upon its faithful performance. 
 
 He Avas wrought up to the highest pitch of patriotic 
 inspiration by the charge which had been laid upon him ; 
 and he Avas determined to bring back the information re- 
 quired of him, even if he had to fly through the air to 
 
98 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 liim with the im- 
 portance 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 pro- 
 posed to operate. On his right hand there Avas 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 
 centre of a valley. 
 
 On the hill beyond Avas 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 oper- 
 ations 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 en- 
 gagement, which had been prohibited by the command- 
 ing general. 
 
THE AnVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 99 
 
 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 mouutain-liigh in real life. He 
 looked troubled and anxious ; but, having put his hand to 
 the plough, he was determined not to turn back. 
 
 The best Avay 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 pur- 
 pose. 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 Hap- 
 good with a military salute : " 'tain't none o' my business ; 
 but I'd like to know where you are goin' to." 
 
 " Through this Avoods," 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 Hap- 
 good, appalled at the prospect before his young friend. 
 
 " Don't you croak, uncle," added Somers. 
 
 " The rebels' pickets are up here, not twenty rods dis- 
 tant. Do you calculate to go through them, or over 
 them?" 
 
100 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "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 Inid lost his 
 senses. 
 
 "I Avas ordered td 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 oiHcer, *'you 
 know I'm not afraid of any thing ; and I didn't expect 
 you'd say that to me." 
 
 " Excuse me, uncle : I didn't mean it. Now, hear mc 
 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," 
 
THE ADl-EXTURES OF A2f ARMY OFFICER. 
 
 101 
 
 mattered the old man, taking off his cap, and scratching 
 his bald head. " Ilowsomever, 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 groimd, and crawled on the 
 edge of the bog, till tl>ey obtained a fair view of the 
 
 rebels. 
 
 "Xow, uncle, the time has come, and my plan is 
 formed," said Somers in a whisper. "When they d>s- 
 cover 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 any thing of the sort. Thunderation ! you 
 are "oin' 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 wiU be in Libby, if you are not shot, 
 
 by dark." 
 
102 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " If I am, leave that to me," replied Somers, as he 
 rolled over ioto 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 practised 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 mean time, the lieuten- 
 ant emerged from his hiding-place. The iii'st 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, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AEMY OFFICER. 103 
 
 who was fortimately about his own size. Rolling up his 
 own clothing in as small a bundle as. possible, he con- 
 cealed 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 
 Lis movements, he advanced towards the rebel lines. 
 
 Lieutenant Somers felt that he was now actually em- 
 barked 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 discus- 
 sion 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 circum- 
 stances. 
 
104 THE YOUNG LIEUTEXANT ; CR, 
 
 He felt that he was hardly dirt j enough to be a rebel : 
 so he rubbed his face, neck, and hands witli 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 hira, 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 to- 
 wards 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 tliat 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 tliis in- 
 formation ; for the young man must be well known in the 
 neighborhood. Of course he could not assujne the name 
 and character of Owen Raynes. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 105 
 
 Though the time Avas precious, he continued to read 
 the diary till he came to au entry which excited iiis 
 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. AVe shall never meet 
 again, lie was a good fellow. He was on a scout." 
 
 Soniers was deeply concerned about poor Allan Gar- 
 land, 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 his- 
 tory, and particularly for Lieutenant Somers, Owen 
 Ilaynes 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 \ol- 
 imteers 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 Avere instantly 
 ordered to Manassas, and he enrolled himself without 
 discovering that his friend was not in the ranks. He 
 was too sick to come wdth his comrades ; " wrote letter 
 to Allan " was a frequent entry in the diary, until June 
 18, 18G2, when this record appears: "Allan joined the 
 regiment to-day ; has been sick about a year ; is very 
 
106 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 nov/. 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 Avas 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFUKIL 107 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ALLAN GARLAND AND FRIENDS. 
 
 C"^^ LLAX GARLAXD, nee Somers, advanced coa- 
 
 i\ fideutly towards the rebel line. As he was lo 
 
 /^^\/ perform the leading part in the exciting drama 
 
 about to be acted, he conducted himself with the 
 
 utmost caution. Every thing depended upon the amount 
 
 of impudence he could bring to bear upon the case before 
 
 hira, and the skill Avith which he personated the part he 
 
 had chosen. He knew of nothinj^, short of falling on the 
 
 Fourth Alabama, which could disconcert him. Even 
 
 if he did, there were only a few Avho 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. " AVho goes there ? " 
 
 '' Friend," replied Somers confidently. 
 
 " What's your name ? " 
 
 " Allan Garland. Can you tell nie Avliere the Fourth 
 Alabama is ? " 
 
 " About four miles from here. Do you belong to the 
 Fourth Alabama ? " 
 
108 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ^ OR, 
 
 " Well, I did before I ^vas captured : I dou't kuow 
 -where I beloug 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 iu the direc- 
 tion indicated by the sentinel ; and was soon ushered into 
 the presence of Major Plainer, brigade-officer of the day. 
 lie 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 Avith 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 
 
THE ADVEXTUIiES OF AX AIIMY OFFKER. 109 
 
 questions in ro^ranl to the force and position of llic 
 Yankees ; all of wliieli Somers answered entirely in the 
 interest of the Union party, lie "vvas very careful not to 
 give a particle of information that could be usefid to the 
 rebels ; at the same time avoiding any gross exaggera- 
 tions -which would throw discredit on his story 
 
 "•You seem to be a very intelligent and patriotic young 
 mau," added the ofTiccr. " 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 your- 
 self. I trust that you will have discretioQ enough not to 
 mention any thing that has passed between us." 
 
 "• Certainly not, sir. I judge, from what you have 
 said, that ray poor services may be required for some 
 special service." 
 
 '' That is the idea which I intended to convey. In a 
 
110 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 word, llie commander of tliis division wants information. 
 Yoii liave 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 noAv, 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 con- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. Ill 
 
 Ptitiited the staple of tlie rebel rations. lie then told the 
 orderly that he wanted to look round a little, and find 
 his regiment, if he could ; but Avas informed that the 
 camp regulations did not permit any strolling about the^ 
 camps. He suggested that tlie olFieer 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 obser- 
 vation. 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 
 M-alk ; 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 
 AVilliamsburg Road, and Avas on the point of extending 
 his observations in the direction of the railroad, Avhen he 
 was stopped by a sentinel. He produced his pass, which 
 the rebel soldier could not read ; and he Avas conducted to 
 the sergeant of the guard, Avho Avas listening to a conver- 
 sation between a captain and an old man who appeared 
 to be a farmer. They were bargaining about some 
 
112 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 forage v.liicli tlic captaia wautcd, and wliich tliu i'arnier 
 Avas not disposed to sell. 
 
 '' What have you there?" demanded tlie officer, as the 
 sentinel brought in tlie doubtful case. 
 
 ^^ Man with a pass." 
 
 '' Your pass is good up to the Williamsburg Road, and 
 no farther," said the sergeant "when he had rcjid the 
 document. 
 
 "I didn't know Aviierc the lines were," replied Somers, 
 returning the pass to liis pocket. 
 
 "AVhere are you going?" asked the officer, apparently 
 not satisfied with the appearance of the " man Avith a 
 pass." 
 
 ''Looking for my regiment, sir," replied Somers, giving 
 the military salute ; whicli excess of politeness, however, 
 Avas 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 knov/ 
 Avhere to look. I have just escaped from the Yank^s, 
 and don't kuoAv mucli about this part of the country." 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 "Allan Garland, sir." 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the old farmer, suddenly be- 
 coming interested in the conversation. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER 113 
 
 " lu 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 
 uot 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 uot 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 wander- 
 ing about here ? " 
 
 "He is a stranger in Virginia. He came on from 
 Alabama only a few weeks since, and was captured 
 whTle out on a scouting expedition. I assure you, cap- 
 tain, 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 
 
114 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 woods, Avitliout let or liiuderance. 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 under-tone ; 
 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. "•! 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 terri- 
 ble to him. 
 
 '' He was out on picket when I came through," he re- 
 plied 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, 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 115 
 
 \\\s lieart seemed to rise up in his throat, aud choke his 
 utterance. The ouly consohitiou he coukl derive from 
 the remembrance of the scene in the woods Avas in the 
 fact that he had not taken the life of Owen Raynes him- 
 self. He wore his clothes, and had his diary and letters 
 in his pocket. 
 
 , " You are very sad, Allan ! I should think you would 
 he 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, avIio desired to remove such a reproach 
 from the mind of the old man. 
 
 '' Perhaps they would not willingly starve their prison- 
 ers ; 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 at- 
 tacked the banks and the flour-stores, urged on by hunger. 
 Tiiere Avill 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 
 .nl>oiinds in nil the Northern States." 
 
116 THE YOUNG LIEUTEXAXT; OR, 
 
 " They would tell you so. They are deceived by their 
 officers." 
 
 " Thcat's the way it is done," added the rebel sergeant, 
 Avho had been listening to the conversation. 
 
 " But I saw what rations these soldiers have. They 
 live like lords." 
 
 " That's the very thing Avhich 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 fmd any 
 thing to do, and are cursing their rulers for plunging 
 them into this horrid war." 
 
 " I think the gentleman from New York lied," re- 
 plied 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.'* 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 117 
 
 " I tliiiik you needu't feel bad about them," added 
 Somers, amused, but iudignaut at the pitii'ul stories 
 which ^vc^c circulated iu the South to keep up the 
 courage of the people. 
 
 " Let that pass, then. Really, Allan, I am very glad 
 to sec 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 iu a few days," replied Somers, embarrassed 
 beyond measure at the idea of faciug 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 especi- 
 ally 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 recom- 
 mendation 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. 
 
118 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT , OR, 
 
 " Come, Allan ! this is not kind of you. Sue has been 
 dying to see you for a year. She was terribly dis- 
 appointed when you did not come up with your regi- 
 ment, 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 Avere 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, Avhen she is fret- 
 ting about you every day of her life ! That would be 
 too bad." 
 
 "You can tell her as much as you please without in- 
 forming 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. Eaynes, 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 Avas disposed to break away from the old 
 man, and make his escape. 
 
 By this time, Sue had become an awful bugbear to the 
 
THE ADVEXTUUES OF AX AliMY OFFICE n. 119 
 
 poor follow. lu these days of photographs, it was more 
 than probable that she had a picture of the original Allan 
 Garland, and the cheat would be discovered the moment 
 lie showed his face. lie 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. 
 
120 TUE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE VIRGINIA MAIDEN. 
 
 ry^|(^y//%. HERE have you beeu, 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 
 inaiden ; 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, w^as 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 121 
 
 accents of aflToction to the devoted father and his lovinjr 
 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 Avas 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 de- 
 clared to her the astounding truth, that the young soldier 
 was her well-kno^vn but hitherto unseen friend from 
 Alabama, the bosom companion of her brother Owen, 
 and, if every thing worked as the loving conspirators in- 
 tended, 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 Somera felt so 
 awkward, that he couldn't help joining her in this inter- 
 esting 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, fjxther ! " stammered the Vir- 
 ginia maiden. 
 
122 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 any 
 thing 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 Avas 
 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER 123 
 
 and highly creditable to the affectional 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 Avas only a short dis- 
 tance 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 AATctched 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 Ra}Tics! 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 Ilaynes." 
 
 "I am confident I didn't," added he with another 
 touch of candor. " But I will always call you Sue here- 
 after, when I have occasion to speak to you." 
 
124 THE YOU NO LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " Thauk you, Allan ! You begin to sound a little like 
 yourself." 
 
 Somers was very glad to hear it, but wished he had 
 been live miles off, even if it had been in the very jaws 
 of the Fourth Alabama. 
 
 "You don't look a bit like your photograph," -con- 
 tinued 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 mc." 
 
 " 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 125 
 
 He was becomiug very uneasy under this rigid cate- 
 chising, and hoped she would not ask any more questions 
 about Lilian Ashfbrd. He had mentioned her name with 
 the liopc that it might produce a coldness on her part 
 whicli would aftbrd 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 inti- 
 mate enough to present her his photograph ; when Mr. 
 llaynes 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 fmd 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 
 Virjnnia damsel. 
 
126 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " I should be very glad to go with you, Sue, if my 
 duty did not call me elsewhere. I am to be seut 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 with- 
 out even going into the house ! " 
 
 " But my duty, Sue ! " 
 
 " You Avill 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 guard-house 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. Rayues gave him a cordial Virginia welcome ; 
 and, while he was endeavoring^ to make himself as ajn-ee- 
 
TUE AUVE^^TURES OF A2f ARMY OFFICER. 127 
 
 able as possible to the old lady, Sue rushed up stairs to 
 procure tlic laithless photograph. She returned in a mo- 
 ment 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 hira 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 ? " 
 
 " "SVliere 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." 
 
128 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " I shouldn't think it was." 
 
 Thereupon Mr. RajTies 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 strug- 
 gling 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 be- 
 tween the outbreaks of his mirth. " I haven't done any 
 thing 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. Ko Avonder Allan wants to get 
 away, when he finds v/hat 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 Soraers, gallantly coming to 
 the rescue of the maiden. " But, really, my Virginia 
 patriarch," — he added, using an expression which he 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AltMY OFFICER. 129 
 
 luid foiiiul ill the correspondence in liis 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 con- 
 cealed in the mire of the swamp. 
 
 lie 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 mot]ier 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 
 w^e 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." 
 
130 THE rOUXG LIEUTENANT; OU, 
 
 " Wliat tlo you mean ? " 
 
 Mr. Raynes seemed to know more tlian he had dared 
 to speak ; and Somers was full of interest. 
 
 '' The Yankees, who expect to go into Richmond, will 
 be driven do^\^l the Peninsula, where they came up, like 
 flying sheep, within a week. I have lieard a few words, 
 which satisfies me tliat 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 liad 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 everytjiing 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 answer- 
 ing the ends of his mission, he was in no hurry to 
 depart. 
 
 General McClellan's " change of base " was not sus- 
 pected \>Y the rebels at this time. It was their purpose 
 to flank the Union army on the right and left, and destroy 
 it eifectually. The dispositions had been made for this 
 purpose ; and, as Mr. Raynes Avas a man of influence and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 131 
 
 intelligence, his information ^\■as as reliable as could be 
 deduced from the preliminary movements of the rebel 
 army. He \vas 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 mani- 
 fested 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 con- 
 templated 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 lie 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 
 iloor disturbed the conference ; and a young man, in a 
 tattered rebel uniform, was ushered inlo the room. 
 
132 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE DIGNIFIED TOUNG REBEL. 
 
 flEUTENANT SOMERS, who had been very 
 nervous and uneasy before, was exceedingly an- 
 noyed 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 
 
THE ADVENTUIIES OF AX AliMY OFFICER. 133 
 
 iiuiii had come to iuform Mr. Rayncs of the death of his 
 son Avhile on picket duty. 
 
 In the brief period -which elapsed between the advent 
 of the stranger, and the statement of the object of his 
 visit, fSomers was disturbed by a dozen fearful theories ; 
 all of which seemed to end in a rebel prison at Rich- 
 mond, and even in a rebel gallows, — the fate of the spy. 
 The minutes were fearfully long ; and, before the mo- 
 mentous question of the object of the stranger's visit 
 could be introduced, he decided to make an abrupt 
 retreat. 
 
 *' AVcll, 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 Avarmly, 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. 
 
134 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OH, 
 
 "Adieu, my brave soldier-boy ! " she replied. 
 
 " You arc a soldier, I see," said the stranger, as 
 Somers approached him oq his way out of the house. 
 
 " Yes, sir," answered the latter nervously ; for he 
 would gladly have escaped any communication with the 
 new-comer. 
 
 "What regiment do you belong to?" persisted the 
 dilapidated soldier. 
 
 What business was that to him? Why should lie 
 trouble himself about other people's affairs? It sounded 
 like a very impertinent question to the excited lieutenant, 
 and he Avas 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 incon- 
 siderate 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 
 
THE AD VENT U RES UF JN ARMY OFFICER. 135 
 
 came very near being arrested as a deserter just now, 
 though I liave a pass in my pocket ; and I don't care 
 about exposing myself to any further annoyance by my 
 ov.n indiscretion." 
 
 '*I assure you I am a friend, and I Avould 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 in- 
 formation was particularly agreeable to him. " I belong 
 to the Fourth Alabama myself." 
 
 *'Do you, indeed?" added Somers with the most in- 
 tense disquiet, wishing all the time that the soldier had 
 been in Alabama, or anywhere but in the house of Mr. 
 Kaynes. 
 
 " 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 
 
136 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 some directions whicli 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 Mould be better to 
 depart with the member of the Fourth Alabama, and part 
 company with him by force or stratagem when they had 
 left the house. 
 
 " I Avou'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 sup- 
 pose I shall not be disputed here, Avhcn 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 T\dthout any troublesome explanations. 
 
 »' Really, I do not," answered Mr. Raynes, much per- 
 prexed by the confident manner of the visitor. 
 
THE ADVBl>TVnES OF AS ARilY OIFICJCJ^. U7 
 
 .^ThU is Sue, I suppose?" pursued the soldier, ad- 
 vancing to the maiden, and extending his dirty hand ; 
 ."hichrhowever, was not mueh dirtier than that ^vhich 
 .he had so eagerly grasped before. "Don't you know 
 who I am, Sue?" 
 
 •• 1 do not, sir," she replied rather coldly. 
 
 .-When I tell you that I belong to the Fourth Ala- 
 bama, don't you know me?" 
 
 " I do not, sir." 
 
 "And when I tell you that I am the intimate friend 
 
 of vour brother Owen?" 
 
 Allan Garland stood by the door; and, of course, it 
 wvs not he : therefore she could not, by any possibility, 
 conceive who he was; and she said so, in terms as ex- 
 plicit as the occasion required. 
 
 u I live in Union, Alabama, when I am at home. Don't 
 vou-know me .<om. Sue?" persisted the perplexed visitor, 
 "who, perhaps, began to think he had entered the wrong 
 
 ""iTthe veritable Allan Garland, however little his 
 photo.naph resembled him, had not stood by the door, 
 she would have been rejoiced to see him, and to recog- 
 uize 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 ellect which her want of perception seemed 
 to produce upon the mind of the stranger. 
 
138 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT, OR, 
 
 " This is very strange," said tlie 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 
 Avhich he had just listened. 
 
 He had been almost paralyzed by the words of the 
 rebel, in whom he promptly recognized the young man 
 Avhose name and antecedents he had borrowed for the 
 present occasion. His first impression was to take to his 
 lieels, 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 exempli- 
 fied in his own experience before he left Pinchbrook, was 
 the foundation of his action. Seeing that the stranger 
 Avas perplexed and annoyed by the failure of the family 
 to recognize him, even after he had told them every thing 
 except his name, he decided that he might safely retire 
 under the plea of haste. 
 
rilE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICE li. 139 
 
 " 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, Avhen 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." 
 
 " Tliauk you, sir ; but, with many regrets for this in- 
 trusion, 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 yet 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 par- 
 don 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 it did that of the family. 
 
 "Pray, give me your name, sir," interposed Sue, 
 
140 . THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT, OR, 
 
 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 will 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 hos- 
 pitality by this abrupt Avithdrawal." 
 
 " 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." 
 
 " TVhy, 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 141 
 
 " Wait a moment ! " exclaimed Mr. Raynes, grasping 
 him ])}' the arm ; for the old farmer seemed to think his 
 presence was necessary to the perfect unravelling 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 Avhom you allude." 
 
 '' Impossible ! " exclaimed Mr. Raynes, still holding 
 Somers's arm with the grasp of a vice. 
 
 *' 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 sensa- 
 tion 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 pre- 
 served a most remarkable silence, for a woman, durin"* 
 the exciting incidents we have transcribed. 
 
 *'MayI be allowed to inquire why you think it is im- 
 possible?" 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 
 
142 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 Strange aspect of the affair. The old man opened liis 
 eyes, and opened his mouth : but he did not forget to liold 
 on with all his might to the arm of the imfortimate lieu- 
 tenant, who was just then picturing to himself the in- 
 terior 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. AVhole divisions of Con- 
 federate 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 stocking 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 re- 
 sistance to what, just then, looked like manifest destiny, 
 the rebel soldier would become an ally of the farmer, and 
 the Avomen could call in the sentinels, if uothiug more. 
 
 " Really, Mr. Raynes, you are very unkind to detain 
 me, when I tell you that my leave has nearly expired," 
 
THE ADVFXTUREf^ OF AX ARMY OFFICEIi. 143 
 
 said Soraers, wlien he liad 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 Avord, which Avent to 
 the very core of the scout's lieart. " 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 momen- 
 tary despondency, he gave himself up for lost, when the 
 maiden Avent for the picture. 
 
144 
 
 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 
 AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL. 
 
 ISS SUE liastened to procure the photo- 
 graph, Avhich she had placed in lier 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 proceed- 
 ings 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 gentle- 
 man : " 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, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 145 
 
 slight US it was, gave our hero a new iuspiratiou, aud 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 in- 
 valid 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 gi'eat 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 Avhat 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 Avas a young man whom Owen was 
 acquainted with, and who desired something to remember 
 him by. He is in a Mississippi regiment now." 
 
 10 
 
146 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "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." 
 
 *' AYe are beginning to get a little light on the subject," 
 said Mr. Raynes, when his daughter had left the room. 
 
 " And I think you Avill 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 w^hether 
 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." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 147 
 
 '' You arc very affectionate, Mr. Raynes ; and, in be- 
 half 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 every thing 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 meagre 
 expectation of overthrowing the claims of his rival to the 
 name of Allan Garland. It was a hot day, and the 
 Avindows of the house were all open. His legs seemed to 
 promise the only satisfactory solution to 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. 
 
148 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 com- 
 pelled to allow that it was but an indifferent likeness of 
 himself. His hard service in the army had chaniG^ed his 
 appearance much. Sue gazed at the picture, and at the 
 original, and her father did tlie same ; but both of them 
 were in doubt. 
 
 " There, sir ! I have waited patiently for you to act 
 out this farce," said Somers, in deep disgust apparently. 
 "You have looked at the pictures, and you are not satis- 
 fied 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 Avill 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 he satisfied, especially in regard to 
 this young man, who was suspected of being a deserter, 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 149 
 
 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 be- 
 tween Mr. Ra}Ties 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 Avas in store for 
 liim when he should hear that his only son had been 
 killed. lie 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 my- 
 self 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 ho rlaimod. 
 
150 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " You shall not go near him, fatlicr ! Pie 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 pre- 
 caution to fasten it, in order to insure the safety of his 
 prisoner. A heavy knock succeeded. 
 
 "Who is that?" gasped Sue, afraid that any new 
 comer would only complicate the difficulties of the mo- 
 ment, 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 caused 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 ! " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AJiMY OFFICER. 151 
 
 *' OvN'cn, my dear boy ! " replied Allan Garland; as he 
 returned with equal warmth the salutation of the new- 
 comer 
 
 " AVhere 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 sensation novel ; and realized the 
 very original idea that truth is stranger than fiction. He 
 could not exactly account for the presence of Owen 
 RajTies, 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 ! " 
 
152 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "Who is he?" 
 
 "His name is Allan Garland, of Union, Alabama ; and 
 he is a private in the Fonrth 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 Avhich had transpired since he 
 first saw the pretended Allan Garland. 
 
 Owen Raynes was a very good-natnred 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." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 153 
 
 "You seem to bo a good fello-\v, aud deal in four-pylla- 
 blc words." 
 
 " Now, as you seem to liavc 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. Eli? AVhat's this? 
 Where did you get this coat?" said Owen, glancing at 
 the garment which Somers wore. 
 
 " This is the key to the joke." 
 
 " Tlie 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 lappel. 
 
 " May I be allowed to inquire where you left your 
 coat ? " asked Somers, Avho 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." 
 
154 THE YOUNG LTEUTEKANT ; OR, 
 
 " The nights are cool, but the days are liot, added 
 Somers. " He took it olT, and left it on the edge of the 
 woods. -Nvherc 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 tlie papers with a great deal of interest. See- 
 ing 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 yon 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 objec- 
 tions, and I must trouble you for the use of your name an 
 liour 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 Avorse." 
 
 "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 v£ry 
 much obliged to you for the use of this garment. Wlien 
 we meet again, I trust we shall understand each other 
 better." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 155 
 
 Owen Raynes was an easy-going young man ; familiar 
 with the practical jokes of the army, enjoying them with 
 the most keenly 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 
 
156 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 small circle of fellowship, and stuck to him like a 
 brother. They -were both good fellows, splendid fellows ; 
 and, under ordinary circumstances, Somcrs "would have 
 been delighted to cultivate their friendship. As it -vvas, 
 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 senti- 
 nels 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. 
 
THE ADVENT UliES OF AN AliMY OFFKJEll. 157 
 
 C 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE REBEL DIVISION -GENERAL. 
 
 'HE sentinel listened very patiently to the expla- 
 nation 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 Avas 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 every thing is right about 
 the man that has the pass ; in other words, the devils are 
 going to see that the angels don't do any thing 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 
 • 
 
158 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, . 
 
 another person, wlio believes that he is an impostor. AVe 
 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 head- 
 quarters, 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 enoui^h." 
 
 " I think you have," added the sergeant ; " and, if 
 you don't leave at once, it will be my duty to ai'rest 
 you." 
 
 " Whew ! " exclaimed Owen. " That would be carry- 
 
THE liDVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 159 
 
 ing the joke altogether too far. I think my j)ater ought 
 to be satisfied with what we have done." 
 
 " Move on," said the sergeant. 
 
 They did move on ; and Somers, attended by the 
 oificer of the guard, walked towards headquarters. 
 
 "Those are the coolest fellows that ever came near my 
 lines," said the sergeant. " M^ without a pass looking 
 out for one who has a pass ! " 
 
 " Well, they are good fellows ; but I played a joke 
 upon them, Avhich 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. Tlie 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 
 
160 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Olt, 
 
 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 ovcr- 
 etaying 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 Avas 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 im- 
 pressive 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 
 
THE ADVEKTUIiES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. IGI 
 
 a coinmaiider lins to perform is to select proper persons 
 Tor 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 Avithout diiliculty." 
 
 " 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 
 yon, sir, for the opportunity you thus afford me to dis- 
 tinguish 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 head- 
 quarters, 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 ofl[icer 
 in every action as well as Avord. They reached the 
 division headquarters, and our hero was ushered into the 
 presence of the general. He was a large, red-faced man, 
 iind had evidently taken all tlie 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 ogres in Jack the Giant-killer. 
 H 
 
162 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OH, 
 
 " The young man of Avhom I spoke to you this fore- 
 noon. 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 Avith 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 prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 " 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. 
 
TIW ADVENTUIiES OF Ay ARMY OFFICER. 163 
 
 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 ray 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— hie — that the Confederate 
 army has to contend against is whiskey. Yes, sir ! 
 wliiskey ! If the Confederate States of — hie — 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. 
 
164 THE YOUXG LIEUTEXANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 — hie — 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 centre 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 Avas strug- 
 gling for the possession of his senses. " That will do, 
 young man. You may go noAV." 
 
 The general, in his drunken stupor, had certainly for- 
 gotten 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. 
 
TUE ADVEXTUnES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 165 
 
 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 divi- 
 sion 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 — hie" — 
 
 Somers did not say any thing 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 — hie " — 
 
 Somers was not a "hie;" but he was an impatient 
 
166 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OB, 
 
 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 — hie — for that; for I wanted to 
 appoint you a division chaplain, to preach against 
 ■whiskey to the general officers. Some of them are — 
 hie — 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 — hie — 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 Avith remarkable prompt- 
 nessi "My interest in the moral welfare of my — hie — 
 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." 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 167 
 
 " Then you shall be a captain. I haven't heard any- 
 such — hie — sentiments as you expressed used in this 
 division before. You ought to be a — hie — 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 
 oil* to the adjutant for the pass, which was given to him 
 under the name he had assumed. AVhen 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 circum- 
 stances, lie 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 riatner, who was smoking his cigar under a tree 
 near the headquarters. 
 
168 THE TOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " Well, yoimg man, did you obtain your instrue- 
 tions?" 
 
 *' 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 -svliat had trans- 
 pired 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 gi-eat 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 Avore 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 ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 169 
 
 " The "-eneral 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. 
 
170 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE SHARPSIIOOTEIl IN THE WOODS. 
 
 OMERS found tlie picket guard nearer tlic rebel 
 line than he liad anticipated ; but the exhibi- 
 tion 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 fore- 
 noon from their side, and I reckon they are trying to 
 find him." 
 
 "Was he a Yank?" asked Somers, desirous of obtain- 
 ing their idea of the fugitive. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 171 
 
 " Dimuo Avluit he was. We didn't see liim till he got 
 a good piece behind us. We were chasing the Yanks 
 which 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 de- 
 scribed by the sergeant, till he coidd no longer be seen 
 by the pickets. The last obstacle seemed to be over- 
 come ; and he hastened to the place where he had con- 
 cealed 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 liis 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 
 Ilapgood. 
 
 "Without difficulty, he found the place w^here 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 
 
172 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 acknowledge tliat he felt exceedingly well «itisfied Avith 
 himself on the present occasion, lie 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 ardu- 
 ous purposes of his mission. lie had examined the 
 positions, and counted the forces of the rebels. He had 
 received very valuable information from Mr. Ra^mes, 
 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. Pie 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 safa ; 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 char- 
 acter. As lie had thanked God for the boon of life after 
 the battle w^as over, so now he thanked him for the 
 signal success w^hich 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 173 
 
 " I say, Yank, you look better'ii 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 villanous-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 
 imjilacablc 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 this 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 Ive 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. 
 
174 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, ^ 
 
 ''I say, reb, when did you sliave last?" demanded 
 Somers, willi something as near akin to a langh as he 
 could manufacture for the occasion. 
 
 "'Fore you was born, I reckon, Yank," replied the 
 rebel ; " and I sha'n't shave agin 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 Bag- 
 bone 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. JVe sat here by them 
 clothes, like a dog at a 'possum's ne^l^all the arter- 
 noon. Now I've treed the critter, and I'l^ gw^ine 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." 
 
THE ADVENTUHES OF AN" ATiMY OFFICER. 175 
 
 *' I tliiln't shoot him." 
 
 " No matter for that, strauger : he was shot by a 
 Yank, and you've got to settle the account." 
 
 Somers begau to be of the same opinion himself. The 
 gi-ayback had evidently found the clothes, and suspected 
 the purpose for which they Avere concealed. It was pos- 
 sible 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 any 
 thing you like, if yer don't insult me : Joe Bagbone 
 don't take an insult from any live man." 
 
 *' '^A'ell, Joe Bagbone," continued Somers, who Avas 
 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 Avant ter say yer prayers, blaze aAvay 
 li\'ely, '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 
 
176 TUE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 
 Avas 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 yaA\Ti 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 Avicked 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 177 
 
 Somers stood within a few feet of a large tree. Joe 
 liad 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 lieu- 
 tenant, 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 oppor- 
 tunity. Our lieutenant, Avho 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, Avhom he had evidently intended to intimi- 
 date 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 knowl- 
 edge 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 lie dared not take 
 aim, lest the bullet of the ruffian should pierce his skull. 
 
 12 
 
178 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 He might as well have fired iuto the air, fo 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. lie 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 gray- 
 back, 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 Tit 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 179 
 
 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 unrea- 
 sonable 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 
 
180 THE YOUXG LIEU TEX ANT, OR, 
 
 draw his fire, lie 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 ^e could not see the 
 effect of the stratagem ; but he was hopeful of a satis- 
 factory 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 sharp- 
 shooters, and had too often fired at empty caps to be 
 caught in this manner when success depended upon the 
 single charge in his rifle. 
 
 Soniers 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 ; ih^t without the 
 loss of a second, our lieutenant darted towai'ds the Union 
 lines. This movement was followed by a shrill yell from 
 the Mississippian, which might have been a howl of 
 disappointment at his failm-e ; or it might have been 
 intended to startle, and thus delay the fugitive. 
 
 Somers had listened to that battle yell too many times 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 181 
 
 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, — 
 
 *' AVho goes there ? " 
 
 *' Friend," gasped Somers, utterly exhausted by his 
 exertions. 
 
 " Lieutenant Somers ? God be praised ! " replied Hap- 
 good, instantly recognizing his voice. 
 
182 TUE YOUXG LIEUTEXAXT; Cli, 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 RETURN TO THE CAMP. 
 
 /^^^HE moment Somers was recognized, Hapgood 
 /'J and his party rushed forward, rightly judging, 
 ^^Jy from the rapidity of his motions, tliat 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 tliere 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 im- 
 placable 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 
 levelled 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 
 
THE ADVEXTUnES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 183 
 
 supposition was correct : the ball had passed through the 
 fleshy part of his thigh, disabling, but not dangerously 
 wounding him. The rutfiau — 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 
 khi slioot me through the Ijead if you like." 
 
 '' Don't consarn yourself about us, reb," replied Hap- 
 good. " AVe'U take good care that you don't hurt your- 
 self, or any one else, while you are in our hands." 
 
 *']Mebl)e 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 tliis forenoon." 
 
 " Whose heart's blood do you want ? " 
 
 " That younker with the podge on his shoulder ; the 
 un I chased in." 
 
 " He didn't kill Tom Myers, or any other man." 
 
 " Show me the man, then," growled tlie rebel, now 
 beginning to feel the pain of his wound. 
 
 " I'm your man. I brought Tom Myers down," re- 
 plied Hapgood, anxious to remove any cause of peril 
 from his protege. 
 
 "Didyer?" 
 
184: THE YOUNG LIEUTEXAXT , OR, 
 
 *' Sartin I did ; saw him drop wlien 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 lit with 'pm, 
 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 aiu'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. 
 
 " O Tom ! — I mean Lieutenant Somers ! I'm glad to 
 see you ! " exclaimed the veteran as he grasped both 
 the hands of the young soldier. 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 185 
 
 " Thmik 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." 
 
 '• 1 had to run lor 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 any thing of the kind. It 
 v.ould be murder to do any thing of that sort while he 
 is our prisoner." 
 
 " lie desarves hanging more'n Kyd the pirate did ; 
 and, if I had my way, he'd swing afore sunrise to- 
 morrow, lie'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?" 
 
186 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " I am improving. I sliall be ready to go witli yen 
 in a few moments more." 
 
 After sitting on the stump half au lioiir 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 any thing 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 di'iuk 
 
riTE ADVEXTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 187 
 
 by ix 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 Avhiskey I could drink without going 
 by the board." * 
 
 *' Who was ho? Bring coflfee, Peter." 
 
 " General M ." 
 
 '• So I supposed. He is a jovial, good-hearted fellow ; 
 but I'll wa^i^cr my shoulder-straps he was tight at the 
 tiinu," 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. AVhcre 
 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 any thing or not." 
 
 Somcrs 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 wliicli 
 were not only calculated to elicit particular information, 
 but to display the skill and intelligence of the scout. 
 
188 THE YOVXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 Tiie iuterview was prolonged for several hours : and at 
 its close a staff-officer was despatched to the corps com- 
 mander ; for what purpose, of course, Soraers had no 
 intimation. 
 
 " Lieutenant Somers, you have earned your promotion ; 
 and if you don't have it, it will be because I have not in- 
 fluence 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 
 ^e, 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 1,S9 
 
 a horrid feminine monstrosity Avhich 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 M'ith a long dash. 
 
 " Not exactly like you, Captain de Banyan," added 
 Somers. 
 
100 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "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 
 
TUB ADVENTUIiES OF AN AJiMY OFFICER. 191 
 
 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 tlie 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 tliese ill-timed remarks, which are merely intended 
 to throw discredit on my character for truth and vera- 
 city. 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 manoeuvred 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 
 
192 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 the lingo ! " said the tormentor, appealing to a Ger- 
 man officer. " Ask him some questions in your own 
 hmirua^e," 
 
 '' 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 Lieu- 
 tenant 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 liad 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. Every thing to be transported 
 Avas reduced to the smallest possible compass. 
 
 These orders w^ere 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 in- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 193 
 
 credulity ; 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 w^oman, attended by her 
 daughter. The rebels were advancing by the Williams- 
 burg Road, and soon had a battery of artillery in posi- 
 tion 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 w^hile 
 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. 
 
 13 
 
194 THE TOUNO LIEUTENANT', GR, 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 GLENDALE AND MALVERN HILLS. ^ 
 
 CAPTAIN DE BANYAN was as cool and in- 
 different to danger as thongh 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 flis 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 cap- 
 ture. The first intimation of the blunder was received 
 at Savage's Station, where the Confederates were deci- 
 sively repulsed ; yet the hope was not abandoned of 
 ending the war b^ the destruction of the Array of the 
 Potomac. The hosts of the Rebellion were poured down 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 195 
 
 the roads, where they could intercept the loy<al forces ; 
 and the full extent of their blunder was realized only at 
 Malvern Hills. 
 
 At noon our regiments 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 Sol- 
 ferino, 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, Bala- 
 clava, or Chapultepec. 
 
 Somers was disposed to make the best of the circum- 
 stances ; and though hungry, tired, lind nearly melted, 
 he sustained himself with unfaltering courage amid 
 
196 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 
 arras. 
 
 The re";iment followed a narrow road throuofh the 
 woods, which was thronged with the debris of the con- 
 flict, hurled back by the fierce assaults of the rebels. 
 The cowardly skulkers and the non-combatants 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 cow- 
 ards 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 influ- 
 ence 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AK ARMY OFFICER. 197 
 
 " Dou't miud 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 sup- 
 port of the hard-pressed troops in front of them, and 
 poured a withering fii'e 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 do\\Ti 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 Ma- 
 genta," 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 
 
198 THE YOUNG LIEUTEXAXT; OR, 
 
 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 irre- 
 sistible force upon a portion of the Union line, and suc- 
 ceeded 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 com- 
 batants. 
 
 "Lieutenant Somers, take command of that com- 
 pany ! " shouted the colonel, as he dashed towards the 
 imperilled 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 do^^Ti 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. 
 
Lieutenant Somers at Glendale. Page 199. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 199 
 
 " Hurrah ! " roared a brave sergeant near him, and 
 the cry Avas 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 in- 
 tervals of rest, as the movements of the army trains 
 
200 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 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 arc all right now, Somcrs," 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 bauds had 
 not been heard during the operations in front of Rich- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 201 
 
 mond ; 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. For- 
 ward, the light brigade ! " he added, flourishing his sword 
 in tlie air. " I suppose you know that poem, Somers? " 
 
 *'0f 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 Avith 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 w^as the music 
 which struck up just now. I had a bugler in my com- 
 l)any 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, 
 
202 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 sir, 1 think that bugler did more than any other man in 
 the charge of the light brigade. He never lost a note, 
 and it fii-ed the men up to the pitch of frenzy." 
 
 " He was a brave fellow," replied Somers languidly ; 
 for he was too thoroughly Avorn 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 
 liad 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 reason- 
 able of the two." 
 
 " Somers, my boy ! you have got a villanously 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 
 
,THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 203 
 
 lead to impleasaut results. Do you see that rebel bat- 
 tery? " added the captain, pointing to a road a mile off, 
 ^vhere 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 Avere 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 indis- 
 cretion. 
 
 Night came agaiji upon a victorious field, while hun- 
 dreds of weeping mothers in the neighboring city sighed 
 for the sous 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 
 
204 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 Army of the Potomac down the river to Harrison's Land- 
 ing. 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 un- 
 delinable sense of insecurity which their situation en- 
 gendered, banished rest. Tired Nature asserted her 
 claims, and the men yielded to them only Avhen endu- 
 rance had reached its utmost limit. 
 
 At Harrison's Landing, the work of intrenching the 
 position Avas 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 con- 
 dition, and as ready as ever to breast the storm of 
 battle, they were in a measure dispirited by the mis- 
 fortune. 
 
 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 205 
 
 then attack in front and on the left. The plan was 
 defeated by General MeClellan's change of base, which 
 was forced upon him by the cutting-off of his communi- 
 cations 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 command- 
 ing 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 ! 
 
206 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XVni. 
 
 LIEUTENANT SOMERS HAS A NEW SENSATION. 
 
 y^ljb^HE experience of the soldiers at Harrison's Land- 
 §1 1 ^^c9 ^or a month following tlieir arrival, was not 
 \Zjy 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. In- 
 trenchments 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 spend 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 opera- 
 tions. About two weeks after the cessation of active 
 operations, the official documents which announced his 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AJiMY OFFICE It. 207 
 
 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 com- 
 mission 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 con- 
 gratulated him wpon 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, be-vvildered 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 ofiice." 
 
 " 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." 
 
208 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " As a particular favor, Somers, never call me gen- 
 eral. I do not wish to rise above my actual rank. I 
 have never mentioned the little circumstance of my pro- 
 motion 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-lieu- 
 tenancy 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 w^ant 
 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ^LRMY OFFICE li. 209 
 
 " 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 
 14 
 
210 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 prognosti- 
 cations of Captain de Banyan, and was too modest to 
 believe that he had done any thing to merit another pro- 
 motion 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 any thing 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 211 
 
 " 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 Avish you to be very careful ; 
 for we can't afford to lose officers like you." 
 
 '' I am always careful, general," said Som^s 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 wor^. What do you 
 say?" I 
 
 " I am all ready, sir, to undertake that, or any service 
 to which I may be ordered." 
 
 '•Tliat's the right spirit. Captain Somers ; and I thank 
 you for the promptness with which you enter into my 
 
212 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OU, 
 
 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 tlie 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 hap- 
 pened to make so many blunders in regard to his military 
 title, for li« 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 I 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 knoAV 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 213 
 
 " 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 ofl&cer to go vdi\\ 
 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 for- 
 gotten that the commission which was forwarded to me 
 only about two weeks ago was that of first lieutenant." 
 
214 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 
 raikoad 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 vnrite to the damsel, and tell her you are still 
 alive, if you can't think of any thing else to say?" 
 
 " I don't like to curry favor with gi-eat 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 sharp- 
 shooters, who were lodged in the old house." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 215 
 
 " 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 hesita- 
 tion 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. 
 
 TVe 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 
 
216 TUB YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 liave done so, if lie had not considered that lie must 
 maintain the dignity of his new office. 
 
 " Captain Somers, I greet you ! " exclaimed De Ban- 
 yan on his return to camp. 
 
 " Who told you I was a captain?" laughed Somers 
 
 " This document," replied he, handing him tlie pon- 
 derous official envelope. " I congi-atulate 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. Wliy, I'm only a boy ; and I 
 don't know but I ought to decline even a captain's com- 
 mission. 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. 
 ^Yliy, at Balaclava, when I was " — 
 
 " Balaclava and blarney ! " exclaimed Somers impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 " I was only going to say, that I was but seventeen 
 when I was made a captain in the British army." 
 
THE ADVENTVllES OF AX AJLM V OFFICER. 217 
 
 *' I have bccu a brigadier iu my own imagination, just 
 as you -were a captaiu, when you "vvere seventeen. But 
 never miud tluit : I tun going on a scout ; have got my 
 orders." 
 
 *^Ali, my hoy! you are going to celebrate the 
 arrival of your commission by active duty. I wish 
 the generals would think of me when they want some- 
 thing handsome done." 
 
 "AMiat 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 throw- 
 imr 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 liis 
 
218 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; O/:, 
 
 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AJiMY OFFICER. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 OVER THE RIVER. 
 
 ^^ APTAIN SOMERS, as we are hereafter to call 
 / I him, was proud and happy in the distinction 
 \^Jy 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 pro- 
 motion, and would have received it in time, even with- 
 out 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 
 
220 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 become very much attached to Somers, and had proved by 
 many substantial acts that he was animated by a warm 
 regard for him. Tliough he talked a great deal about 
 the favor of high officials in securing his promotion, lie 
 had never hinted a wish that Somers should attempt to 
 influence his powerful friend to do* any thing for him. 
 
 Somers said nothing to the captain about the letter he 
 had written. If any thing was done, he wished to have 
 liis friend surprised as he had been. But he had only 
 slight hopes that any thing would be accomplished by his 
 application. Though Captain de Banyan had always 
 behaved well in battle, and had always faithfully dis- 
 charged his duties in the camp and on the march, there 
 was something like a mystery hanging about him, which 
 liad a tendency to prejudice the officers against liim. 
 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. TTliere 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. 
 
TUE ^WVENTURES OF AN Aliiir OFFICE Ji. 221 
 
 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 Avas 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 tm-ned 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?" 
 
222 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR. 
 
 " 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 every thing I say," replied the 
 captain, apparently much hurt. 
 
 "You mustn't say such things, then. You don't ex- 
 pect 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 ! " • 
 
 " Xow, 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 descrip- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 223 
 
 tion in the vicinity of Harrison's Landing ; and the boat 
 had just emerged from this forest of masts and smoke- 
 stacks. 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 expe- 
 dition. 
 
 " 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 tlie 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 
 
224 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 time, and it aiforded 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 -svitli the rebels on general topics ; 
 for the latter refused to say any thing Avhich 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 w^aters 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 vC'^as 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 vd&o. 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 225 
 
 " Haven't seen any." 
 " How far up have you been ? " 
 
 *'Ab(3ut two miles," ansAvered Somers, continually 
 cougliiog to account for any change in his voice which 
 might be apparent to his friend on shore. 
 
 ''The lire-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 ? " 
 
 15 
 
226 TEE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " Some general sent for him ; and he has gone to 
 Richmond. I reckon the iron-clad's coming doAvn 
 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 227 
 
 " 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. TVhat 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." 
 
 ""SMio is that man w^ith 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." 
 
228 THE TOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 "Well, well, my friend, we will rub but 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 do^vn 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 turpen- 
 tine ; 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, Avere all the crew she had, and all she 
 needed besides the pilot. They had got up steam, and 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 229 
 
 the vessel was all ready to move on her errand of destruc- 
 tion 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 w^ere 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 
 
230 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 
 stem-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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 231 
 
 CIIArXER XX. 
 
 CAPTAIN DE BAXYAN FIXDS AN OLD FRIEND. 
 
 J/\ OTH 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 combus- 
 tible material which had been stored on the deck ; and 
 thej 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 shavin^-s, and 
 set the end on fire. It had burned lono* enouo"h 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?" 
 
232 THE TOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 ; bum 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 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 liappen." 
 
 " Haven't they got most ready for the Yankee fleet 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 233 
 
 above here ? " asked Somers as carelessly as lie 
 could. 
 
 ^* What do you mean?" 
 i " 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 afibrd to 
 burn them up. We took this one because she hap- 
 pened to be in the creek, where the Yankees could cap- 
 ture 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 in- 
 structions, the men pulled down the creek to its mouth, 
 
234 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 where they could remain concealed till their officers 
 returned. 
 
 By the liglit 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 scru- 
 tiny 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 be- 
 stowed no further notice upon them, and rode off to re- 
 port 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 bat- 
 teries, if there are any there." 
 
 They proceeded in the direction indicated for about 
 three miles without being molested, or even challenged by 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 235 
 
 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 dark- 
 ness to sleep. On the shore opposite the camp, they found 
 a battery of artillery. Rude field-works had been con- 
 structed near the water, on which the guns of the com- 
 pany had been placed. Our travellers 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 excur- 
 sion had been fully accomplished ; and they began to re- 
 trace 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 aban- 
 doned the fields, through which they could make but 
 
236 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 slow progress, for the road. They had three miles far- 
 ther 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 crawlinjir on the ground about that 
 battery." 
 
 "I don't see where the time has all gone." 
 
 *' It goes fast when we are busy. When I was in the 
 Crimea " — 
 
 " Never mind the Crimea now." protested Somers, 
 w^ho 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 opin- 
 ion about those stories of the Crimea and the Italian 
 war, and I don't think it is a good plan ta talk so much 
 over here." 
 
 ; "As you please : it is your turn to speak next." 
 ) "I meant no offence." 
 
 " I know you didn't, Somers : but you reproved me, 
 and I can only hold my peace ; for you are the command- 
 er 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?" 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 237 
 
 This last remark was caused by the sound of horses* 
 feet behind them ; and our travellers 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. " "\Ye 
 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 con- 
 cealed 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 ahvays 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" — 
 
238 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " Bah ! Doji'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 compan- 
 ion'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 saAv 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, Avhether they had haystacks 
 in Italy, nor if it was probable that such an army would 
 pass over a single road. He waited patiently, or im- 
 patiently, 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 239 
 
 *' 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 cool- 
 ness of the captain, and the peculiar manner he assumed, 
 convinced him that he had some resources upon which 
 - to di'aw 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 boss?" 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 boss, if Heaven gin you two eyes, what 
 were they gin to ye fur?" replied the captain, still hack- 
 ing away at the sapling. 
 
240 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 " 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 pro- 
 ceeded to trim off the branches. 
 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 " Well, old hoss, I'm the brother of mv 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, fol- 
 lowed 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 any thing of the sort," 
 said De Banyan ; and he hobbled along on his new-made 
 cane. 
 
TUB ADVENTURES OF AM ARMY OFFICER. 241 
 
 A walk of a few rods brought them to the road, where 
 .l.e commander of the company was impatiently await- 
 ing the.r arrival. He looked daggers at the travellers, 
 and evidently intended to annihilate them by the fierce- 
 ness of his visage. 
 
 '' Give an account of yourself," said he. 
 
 " We're no account," replied De Banyan. 
 
 " I've seen you before," continued the cavaby com- 
 mander, gazing intently at the captain. 
 
 " No : you saw me behind." 
 
 " That sounds like you. Why, really, it is Barney 
 Marvel." 
 
 "AYho?" 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, 
 
 16 
 
242 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 who, in spite of his present happy manner, was evidently 
 as much puzzled as the other party. 
 
 " Ton 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 understand 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 Avas confounded when the officer repeated these 
 words, which were 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, Avhere they found, 
 plainly marked in India ink, the initials B. M. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 243 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE THIRD TENNESSEE. 
 
 (M\ ROBABLY there was no one in either party who. 
 |Xl 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 unsat- 
 isfactory manner to those most intimately concerned. 
 The conversation, and the verification of the rebel offi- 
 cer'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 pre- 
 vious 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 con- 
 
244 TEE TOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 veying 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 con- 
 sistent wdth 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 Rebel- 
 lion. 
 
 He was anxious to hear the captain's explanation of 
 these gross charges ; but, of course, that was utterly 
 impracticable at present. In the mean time, 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. 
 
 K Captain de Banyan w^as 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's use of the word, he 
 could not do less than denounce his companion as a 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 245 
 
 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 com- 
 panion was a spy : if not, he was in the company of a 
 deserter, and would be subjected to all manner of sus- 
 picion. 
 
 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 triimiph of the cavalry officer's argu- 
 ment. He punched Somers in the side with his elbow ; 
 but the latter w^as unable to dixdne 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 
 
246 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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." 
 
 " Any thing 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 Osborji 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 preten- 
 sions," 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ABMY OFFICER. 247 
 
 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 pris- 
 oners ; 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 cap- 
 tain. "I am surprised to see you adopting such a 
 stupid method to conceal your identity." 
 
 " I had good reasons for it," replied De Banyan, cast- 
 ing 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 offence, 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 Ten- 
 nessee." 
 
 " Then you ^vronged 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 
 
248 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 tliese 
 words, as though he wished him to take particular notice 
 of them ; but his admiring friend needed no such admo- 
 nition to induce him to give strict attention to the state- 
 ment, for it was the most satisfactory remark he had 
 heard during the interview. Captain de Banyan rose 
 twenty-five per cent in liis 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 beet do so regard it," added De 
 Banyan as he administered another mild punch on the 
 ribs of his fellow-sufierer. " I was taken by the Yan- 
 kees, 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 i^ 
 not." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 249 
 
 '' 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 
 Avas 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 afiairs any 
 further." 
 
 " No trouble at all, I assure you. Under the circum- 
 stances, 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." 
 
250 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 *' 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 prospect of reaching the 
 rebel capital was 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 Rich- 
 mond," 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 251 
 
 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 sup- 
 posed 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 wdth 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 con- 
 duct the prisoners to a certain camp near the railroad at 
 City Point, and there deliver them over to the keeping 
 of an officer w^hose 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 any thing I can do 
 for youj don't fail to call upon me ; that is, any thing 
 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 ? " 
 
252 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "Excuse me, Baruey. I meant no offence," 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 Avord, I 
 meant no offence. 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 fa^or at 
 your hands. I can't see how an oflicer who doubts my 
 word should be A\dlling 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, Avhen 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 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 253 
 
 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 pris- 
 oners 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 break- 
 fast 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 aron- 
 ment ; and they entered the house, where breakfast was 
 soon in preparation for them. 
 
254 THE YOU NO LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 THE REBEL FARM-HOUSE. 
 
 OMERS, besides the chagrin caused by his cap- 
 ture, 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 unfor- 
 tunate connection with Captain de Banyan, who was 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 255 
 
 rash beyond measure in venturing within the rebel 
 lines, unless he really meant to return to the Third 
 Tennessee. 
 
 AVhatever 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 adlierent 
 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 com- 
 panion ; and the result was, that he resolved to make his 
 escape, if he could, from the hands of the rebels with- 
 out 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 Tennes- 
 see could have induced him to adopt such a resolution. 
 Having adopted it, he kept his eyes wide open for any 
 opportunity which Avould favor his purpose. His cu- 
 riosity, excited to the highest pitch to know what the 
 captain could say in defence of the heinous charge 
 wliich had been fastened upon him by the rebel caval- 
 ry oflScer, and which he himself had substantiated, ren- 
 dered the intention to part company with him very 
 disagreeable ; but the terror of a rebel prison, and 
 
256 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 perhaps a "svorse fate, were potent arguments in its 
 favor. 
 
 In the course of half an hour, the breakfast was read/, 
 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 reso- 
 lutely determined to do great deeds. Only the slow- 
 moulded and irresolute want a time and a place. The 
 breakfast was finished, and the troopers and their pris- 
 oners were on excellent terms with each other long before 
 the conclusion of the repast. Eating and drinking pro- 
 mote the social feeling ; and Captain de Banyan. was as 
 brilliant as he had ever been in the camps of the Chick- 
 ahominy. 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 
 
THE AD ENTUUES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 2bl 
 
 proposed to resume tlic journey. De Banyan paid the 
 1)111 in gold ; for there Avas 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, Ave will give you the use 
 of the saddles for a time." 
 
 " Thank yoii, my friend. That's handsome. You re- 
 mind 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 cel- 
 ebrated 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 Avith 
 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 Avas permitted to 
 bring up the rear. Noav, it is ahvays mortifying to be 
 held in slight esteem, especially to a sensitive mind like 
 that of our hero ;*and he resented the slight by declining 
 17 
 
258 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 valu- 
 able time, he slyly stepped through the doorway, and 
 ascended the stairs. The rebels Avere so busy in listen- 
 inty to the great stories of Captain de Banyan, that they 
 did not immediately discover the absence of the unpre- 
 tending 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 elab- 
 orate 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 em- 
 braced the opportunity thus presented. Tlie building 
 was an ordinary Virginia farm-house, rudely con- 
 structed, and very imperfectly finished. On ascending 
 the stairs, Somers reached a large, unfinished apart- 
 ment, which was used as a store-room. From it 
 opened, at each end of the house, a large chamber. 
 
 No place of concealment, which Avas apparently suit- 
 able 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 Avas not at all hopeful ; for there Avere none of 
 
THE ADVKNTUIiES OF AX ARMY OFFICE R. 259 
 
 those convenient " cubby holes," -whicli most houses 
 contain, wlierein he could bestow his body with any 
 hope of escapinir 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 ^vithout 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 dis- 
 covered, and the rebels were in a state of high excite- 
 ment on account of it ; but Somers was pleased to find 
 that they had not rightly conjectured the theory of his 
 escape. He could hear them swear, and hear them con- 
 sidering the direction in which he had gone. Two of 
 them stood under the window, to which Somers had re- 
 stored 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." 
 
260 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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. " lie 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." 
 
 *' May be 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 tliat 
 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 anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " No : I saw them both foUer 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A2T ARMY OFFICER. 261 
 
 to Somers that the rebels would not leave the place with- 
 out searching the house, after they had satisfied them- 
 selves that the fugitive was not hidden in any of the 
 out-hiiikliugs of the farm. If they did so, his situation 
 would at once become hopeless, if he remained Avliere 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 
 reconnoitre the position. The only way by Avhich 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 eyry on the ridge-pole 
 of the house, if he could reach it, they could all be seen. 
 
262 TUE YOUNG LIEUTENANT: OR, 
 
 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 be- 
 neath the M'indoWj 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 ex- 
 actly where his right and his left foot were to be suc- 
 cessfully 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 w^hen 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 bur- 
 dened 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 sol- 
 diers, 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 ser- 
 geant, 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 reso- 
 lutely. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 263 
 
 " Yer kiu, if yer like ; but I hope yer won't lose the 
 other fellor while yer looking for this one." 
 
 '' 1 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 pleasm-e of seeing the fugitive un- 
 earthed. 
 
 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 
 sill to a projecting stone in the chimney, he heard the 
 steps of the whole party on the stairs below. He was 
 
264 TUE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 not an instant too soon in tlie execution of his project ; 
 and, when he reached the ridge-pole of the house, lie 
 paused to recover the breath which he had lost by ex- 
 citement and exertion. 
 
 The pursuers occupied some time in examining the 
 storeroom 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 ! " pro- 
 tested 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 fugi- 
 tive was almost willing to believe that the protester 
 knew he was in the house, w^as 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 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 2G5 
 
 the descent of the smoky avenue. He found the open- 
 ing much smaller than that of liis 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, — per- 
 haps a cat. He moved on. 
 
 "Quit! Le'm me alone!" said a snarling voice 
 beneath him. 
 
266 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE MAN IN THE CHIMNEY. 
 
 ^^E'M me alone ! " repeated the voice in the chim- 
 il ney several times before Somers could make up 
 his mind as to the precise nature of the adven- 
 ture 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 indi- 
 vidual 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 ? ^Tiat business had 
 he there? 
 
 Somers had some knowledge of a useful and other\^'ise 
 highly 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICE Jl. 2G7 
 
 Ancieut 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 sensation novel. 
 
 The individual Avas 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 occa- 
 sion 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 any thing 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 tlie Ikjusc by 
 his custodian ; and, while the guard was looking the other 
 
268 TUE TOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 way, perhaps he had suddenly popped up the chimney, 
 leavinor the rebel soldier in char*2re of him to believe 
 that he was in league with the powers of darkness, arfd 
 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 phenome- 
 non of the chimney, this seemed more reasonable than 
 any of the others. The personage below him very con- 
 siderately dropped down a step or two, to enable our 
 theorist to discuss the question to his ovni satisfaction ; 
 albeit it did not take him a tithe of the time to do his 
 thinking which it has taken his biographer to re- 
 cord it. 
 
 " Captain?" said he in a gentle whisper, as insinuat- 
 ing 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 
 tlie aiFair, and attempted to try his OAvn 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 2G9 
 
 Other character had ouly 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 a 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 
 w-ill 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. 
 "Wliat yer want o' me? I hain't done nothin' to 
 you." 
 
 " I don't want any thing 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. 
 
270 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " Never miud avIio 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 armies, Avhich 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 move- 
 ment 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 bat- 
 teries 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 
 agin ! " ' 
 
 " Keep still ! " pleaded Somers, in despair at the un- 
 reasonableness of the rebel. " The soldiers are after 
 me ; and, if they catch me, they will catch you. I don't 
 want to hurt you. If you will only keep still, I will 
 help you out of the scrape." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 271 
 
 *' You go to Babylon ! Yer can't fool me ! What yer 
 doin' in the chiraley fur?" 
 
 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 ow'?. 
 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 M\is 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, 
 
272 THE TOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 and observe the niovemcnts of liim "whom he regarded 
 as an enemy. He seemed to have discretion enough 
 to keep still, so long as no direct attack Mas 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 w^th the intractable deserter. 
 On reaching the top, he heard the voice of the ser- 
 geant 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 indica- 
 tions of the advance of the fugitive in this direction. 
 
 " The wind bio wed it off t'other day," promptly re- 
 plied 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 comer in the house ; and I tell yer 
 he's five mile from this yere 'fore now." 
 
 The sergeant looked out 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 
 
TTTE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 273 
 
 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 con- 
 sequently 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 im- 
 polite 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 pa- 
 tiently, 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 conver- 
 sation in front of the house ; and he even ventured to 
 take a look at his enemies below. To his intense satis- 
 faction, 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 Avith 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 
 
 18 
 
274 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 regard to the disposition of the other. The captain 
 marched off in gloomy dignity, with two cavalrjTnen 
 before and two behind him. Somers caught a glance 
 at his face as he turned the corner into the road. It 
 was sad beyond any thing 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, lie heard a 
 voice beneath him, and farther do'svn than the locality of 
 the deserter. 
 
 " Yer kin come down now, Tom," said the farmer. 
 
 Though the name was his o^ti, 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. . 275 
 
 " 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 unwit- 
 tingly 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. Yer 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. 
 
276 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 move- 
 ment 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 
 defence, 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 do^^^l from his perch. Stepping out from the 
 great fire-place, he stood in the presence of the hopeful 
 son and sire. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AllMY OFFICE Ji. 277 
 
 CHAPTER XXiy. 
 
 A BROKEN BARGAIN. 
 
 OMERS 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 redoubta- 
 ble 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, confront- 
 ing the pestilent Yankee who had thus so unceremoni- 
 ously invaded his house. 
 
 " Who be you?" demanded the old man. 
 " No matter wlio I am," replied Somers, with the 
 pistol stiU in his hands. " I propose to spend the day 
 Avith you, and will pay for every thing I have." 
 
 " Perhaps yer will stay here, and perhaps yer won't," 
 replied the farmer doggedly. 
 
 " There is no perhaps about it : I intend to stay here." 
 " I s'pose yer don't keer whether Pm willing or not." 
 " On the contrary, I do care. I had much rather stay 
 with your consent than without." 
 
278 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " 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 annoy- 
 ing 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-defence. 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 any thing 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. Tm 
 not a nigger ; and it makes no difference to you what I 
 am." 
 
 " You are a dirty Yankee ; and I'd rather hev a hun- 
 dred niggers in my liouse than one Yankee.'* 
 
THE ADVEXTUnF!^ OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 279 
 
 " That* s a matter of taste. If you are fond of ne- 
 groes, I don't interfere with you for thaf." 
 
 " Shet up ! " snarled the farmer, highly displeased with 
 the answer of the fugitive. " I won't hev a Yankee in 
 ray house a single hour." 
 
 " Very well : we won't argue the matter. You can do 
 any thing you please about it," replied Somers with per- 
 fect 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 unwel- 
 come 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 de- 
 pended 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 
 
280 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 yer about right, stranger," replied the 
 farmer. 
 
 " You can see now it is for your interest as well as 
 mine that Ave 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 ? " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 281 
 
 " Bet yer life I do, dad," replied the hopeful son. " I 
 wou'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," re- 
 plied 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 yer 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 re- 
 clining posture, and hastened to reconnoitre the position. 
 
282 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 The enemy — for such )ie 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 doubt- 
 ing that his o\\u case would be the subject of the con- 
 versation. 
 
 " 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 sunthin hand- 
 some for ketchin him." 
 
 " Yes ; but, dad, they'll get sunthin 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, yer a bigger fool'n yer father ! " said the 
 farmer petulantly. " Can't yer hide in t'other place do\vii 
 suller?" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 283 
 
 " 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 
 suUer'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 w^here 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 mean time. 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 con- 
 
284 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 flict Avliicli 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 pros- 
 trate form as be 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 lis- 
 tened 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 dis- 
 cerned 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." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 285 
 
 "Haven't I?" 
 
 *' Not more'n that. Better lay down, and finish yer 
 nap ; kase I spose yer won't git much sleep to-night, if 
 yer gwine over the river." 
 
 " 1 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 thinkiu' o' that." 
 
 And it was quite probable he was thinking of it ; for 
 he certainly wanted the earliest information of the ap- 
 proach 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 sur- 
 vey 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 pru- 
 dent 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 Avho 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 
 
286 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 under- 
 stood Avhy 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. 
 
 " Kun 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 chim- 
 ney with you, and I'll follow. If any one attempts to 
 follow us, I'll shoot him Avith my pistol. Be in a hurry, 
 Tom ! We have no time to spare," urged Somers, driv- 
 ing 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 com- 
 panion half out of his wits. 
 
 " Don't fire, and I will," replied the A\Tetch, as he 
 stepped into the fire-place, and commenced the ascent of 
 the chimney. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICE Ji. 287 
 
 *' 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 Avorks 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. " AYhere 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 again." 
 
288 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 "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' for 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 dowTi." 
 
 Ko 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 dowTi ! " groaned the 
 wretch. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 289 
 
 " The cowardly Yank ! He's like all the rest of them. 
 Come clown 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. 
 
 19 
 
290 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SOJTERS IS COMPELLED TO BACK OUT. 
 
 /4j/^ERY likely the Virginia farmer had some idea 
 ^ri of retributive justice when he sa^v 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 Avas 
 overwhelmed Avith 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 con- 
 cealment. 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 boon defeated, and 
 he himself had opened the trap for his son to enter. He 
 probably knevv^ 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 mis- 
 conduct. He had broken his bargain with the fugitive ; 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 291 
 
 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 
 Axrmer. 
 
 " 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 yml'WC^Tne in here to capture this boy?" 
 asked the sergeant, who appeared to be bewildered by 
 the unnatural act of the father. 
 
 "I brought yer iiere 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 
 
292 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 somebody to take keer on him," pleaded the farmer. 
 " The Yank must be up ehimley now," he continued, 
 reminded that his own reputation for loyahy 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 any 
 thing." 
 
 " 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY' OFFICER. 293 
 
 " 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. Dun- 
 no no more'n the dead." 
 
 Perhaps the sergeant concluded that Tom's position 
 was a reasonable one, and that it Avould 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 staid 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 
 Avhich 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 
 any thing to save his son from the deserter's fate. 
 The party proceeded up stairs first, and carefully ex- 
 amined every closet, and every nook and corner which 
 
294 TUE YOVNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 could by any possibility contain tbe form of a man. 
 As Somers Avas not up stairs, of course they did not 
 find him ; and we will not weary our readers by follow- 
 ing them in their fruitless search. 
 
 Somers Avent down into the cellar, dosing 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 Avithin its 
 sombre shades ; and, as he Avas an utter stranger in 
 the place, he Avas not a little bcAvildered by the aAvk- 
 Avardness of the situation. He Avas in darkness, and 
 AA'ished for light ; at least, for enough to enable him 
 to find the hiding-place of AA'hich he had heard the 
 farmer speak. 
 
 This snug retreat, Avhere the deserter had balked his 
 pursuers, Avas undoubtedly the cellar drain ; though, to 
 Somers, it appeared to be a Virginia notion to haA'e it 
 long enough to admit the form of a man. Tom Rigney 
 Avas a larger person than himself; and the case Avas hope- 
 ful enough, if he could only find the opening. The 
 cellar contained Aarious boxes, barrels, firkins, and 
 other articles, the mass of Avhich Avere piled up in one 
 comer. 
 
 Somers foUoAved the AA^all entirely around, from the 
 pile in the corner, till he returned to it, without finding 
 what he desired. It Avas sufficiently evident, therefore, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 295 
 
 that the entrance to the drain was under the boxes and 
 barrels, which had probably been placed over it to ward 
 oil' the ovcr-iuquisitive gaze of any visitors who might 
 explore the cellar. Our enterprising hero immediately 
 commenced the Mork 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 re-adjust the boxes and barrels, so as to 
 hide his den from the observation of any Avho might be 
 disposed to follow him in his subterranean explorations. 
 
 The drain Avas 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 Avas, he hoped 
 that he should be permitted to remain there. He was 
 fully conscious of the perils of his situation. He knew 
 lliat Tom, in the chimney, must be captured ; and it 
 M as 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 hun- 
 dred for the hole tg be passed by without an exam- 
 ination. 
 
 It would be fatal to remain where he was ; and, after 
 resting himself from the fatigue which the exertion of 
 
296 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 con- 
 tinued 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 exam- 
 ined ; 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 207 
 
 "I reckon he isn't clown 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 ! " 
 thouglit Soraers ; for he was prudent enough not audibly 
 to invoke benedictions, even upon the head of his 
 enemies : but the words of the sergeant atfordcd him a 
 degree of relief, which no one, who has not burrowed 
 in a drain in the rebel country, can understand or appre- 
 ciate. 
 
 " I reckon there's a place down in that corner that's 
 big enough to hold a man ; for 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 Avas 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 
 fetch 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 
 
298 TUB YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; 0/7, 
 
 that a conscious man in a trance would listen to the 
 rumbling of the wheels of the hearse which was bear- 
 ing 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 any thing 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 any- 
 body." 
 
 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 scepticism 
 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 impossi- 
 bility. 
 
 '' Go and bring another lamp and a pole," said the 
 sergeant. 
 
 One of the party w^ent up the stairs, and Somers gave 
 himself up for lost. The extra lamp w^ould certainly ex- 
 pose him, to say nothing of the pole ; and it seemed to be 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 299 
 
 folly to remain there, aud be punched with a stick, like a 
 woodchuck in his hole. Besides, there is something in 
 tumbling down gi'acefully, 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 aud bring him down. There was no hope ; 
 and it is bad generalship, as well as inhuman and use- 
 less, to fight a battle which is lost before the first shot is 
 fired. 
 
 TVe have before intimated that Captain Somers, be- 
 sides being a brave and enterprising young man, Avas a 
 philosopher. He had that happy self-possession which 
 enables one to bear the ills of life, as well as the cour- 
 age and address to triumph over them. He had done 
 every thing 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 w^ith 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. 
 
300 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 ex- 
 ceedingly unpleasant necessity to a person of his pro- 
 gressive temperament. It was a slow manoeuvre ; 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 dican." 
 
 " 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 301 
 
 '• Ditlu'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 to- 
 wards such a faithless wretch, told the whole story ex- 
 actly 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 oiF to the rebel camp. 
 
302 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OH, 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A NIGHT IN PETERSBURG. 
 
 i^^^HE sergeant Avho hud captured our hero seemed 
 1 i I to be a very clever fellow, aud appreciated the 
 vli/ sterling merits of liis 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, what- 
 ever 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 ad- 
 venture, he did not yet despair of effecting his escape. 
 This was all he had to live for at present ; and he was 
 determined isot to lose sight of this great object of exist- 
 ence. Libby Prison was a flom-ishiug institution, even 
 
THE ADVENTUIiES OF AX ARMY' OFFICER. 303 
 
 at tlie time of -wliich wo write ; and he was tletcnniiicd 
 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 Avith the talkative 
 sergeant, lie 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 re- 
 gard to himself, and to the Ai-my 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 wliich crept into his replies. 
 Ke 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 reco^^nized. As 
 he was a private, his chance of spending the summer on 
 Belle Island w^as better than that for Libby. But, as 
 Somers was fully resolved not to go to Richmond in ad- 
 vance 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 liis guard on tlie way to 
 the camp. He was duly delivered to the officer of the 
 
304 THE YOUNG LIEU TEX AST: OH, 
 
 (lay, aud his intimacy ^vitll his good-natured captor 
 Avas at an end. The ofhcer y\\\o was responsible for 
 him made some inquiries in regard to the prisoner, 
 and Ifearned 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 waidng a conveyance in the camp, 
 he decided to send Somers forward at once, fearful that 
 he migliL again take leave of his captors. From what 
 lie had heard from Captain Osboru 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 specially ordered to 
 shoot him if he attempted to escape ; w^liich they would 
 probably have done of their own free will and accord, 
 Avithout 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 Con- 
 federacy depended upon his safe delivery into the hands 
 of the provost-marshal at Richmond. 
 
 The roads were very muddy from the recent rains, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 305 
 
 and it required two hours to accomplish the distance to 
 the raih-oad station. On their arrival, Somcrs 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, witli tAvo 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 tlie 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 w^as 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 any thing that night. Stretching 
 himself on the floor, he tried to sleep ; but his spirit 
 was too great to permit him calmly to view the pros- 
 pect 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 Island. 
 
 20 
 
806 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 The best scheme that suggested itself was to leap 
 from the cars ou the "vvay to Eichmond. 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 ques- 
 tions ; but he kept his own counsel, and endeavored to 
 cheer their desponding spirits with the hope of being 
 soon exchanged. 
 
 At last Somers w^ent 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 Avhich 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, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 307 
 
 including Somers, avIio 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 appella- 
 tive which he had assumed when he was a pilot down 
 on tlie creek by the James River. He was evidently the 
 per.sou 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 consider- 
 ation 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 cap- 
 tives till he came to Somers ; thrusting the lantern into 
 the face of each, so that the officer could scan his 
 features. 
 
308 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 "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 w^ore 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 com'se, you will leave this with 
 me?" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 309 
 
 " 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 
 tlie prisoner to the ofifice of the provo.st-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 cooi'sc of events. He could not imagine wliy he 
 Lad 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 un- 
 pleasant 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 any thing from him. In this light, liis 
 
310 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 gettiag 
 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 o^vn ; 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 mem- 
 bers 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 remem- 
 brance of whose sweet smile he had revelled 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 311 
 
 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 stiU 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. Xo one saw that tear, and the officer per- 
 mitted him to indulge his sad revery in silence. But, 
 after they had walked two or three squares, his compan- 
 ion 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 care- 
 lessness. " I must have it ; for I can do nothing with- 
 out 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. 
 
312 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 The officer took the gun, and stood by the side of his 
 prisoner, at the corner of the street, till the soldier dis- 
 appeared in the darkness. Somers, still thinking of the 
 sad fate which he was confident v/as in store for him, 
 wished to confirm his impressions in regard to his des- 
 tiny. 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." 
 
TUE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 313 
 
 " "Wliat is to be done with me ? " 
 
 " I don't koow." 
 
 *' 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. 
 
314 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn. 
 
 A FRIEND INDEED. 
 
 PUSH, 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 per- 
 ceived 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 agree- 
 able change ; and in the joy of his heart he was disposed 
 to embrace his friend, and beg forgiveness for the sus- 
 picions 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 315 
 
 " 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 con- 
 ducting 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 unfortu- 
 nately perhaps for the horse, there Avas 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. 
 
 "Wliat 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?" 
 
316 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 'Since we parted, my boy? "We didn't part. You 
 did all the parting, Somers," replied De Banyan in a 
 reproacliful 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 pui-pose 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 posi- 
 tion." 
 
 "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 ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 317 
 
 the Union than you have ; for I was born in the .sunny 
 South, and all my friends and neighbors went Avith 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 com- 
 panion, which he pressed with a warmth that indicated 
 his feelings more eloquently than words could have done, 
 lie Avas 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, cap- 
 tain ? 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 con- 
 vince me that you were a loyal man." 
 
 " T am all that, my dear boy." 
 
318 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT^ OR, 
 
 " Where have you been since I parted from you?" 
 
 " I got up to Petersburg iu the afternoon. I was put 
 in that liole where I found you at first ; but, when the 
 provost-marshal learned my story, he sent for me, and I 
 ■was conducted to his oliice. 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 biun- 
 boozled him. I assured him I was an officer iu 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 ofiice, for the night ; where, of course, he 
 expected to find me in the morning. In the night, I got 
 up, and Avent 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 
 
THE ADVBNTUliES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 319 
 
 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 wliat 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 cor- 
 poral 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, 
 
320 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 the provost, had done this little act in the most delicate 
 way in the world. He did not tell me that I was nnder 
 gnard ; but I happened to find it out before I put ray foot 
 in the trap. 
 
 "In a Avord, 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 slum- 
 bers of the provost. I got into the street, and went to 
 the depot. There I told the corporal of tlie 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. 
 
 " Xot a bit of it. I haven't exhausted half my expe- 
 dients 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 321 
 
 It was impossible to move then without making noise 
 enough to excite the attention of the person who had en- 
 tered ; 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 unwel- 
 come 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 Avith 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 is 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, AA'-as an oflEicer 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 possi- 
 ble in his preparations. 
 
 " You are my prisoner, if he comes up stairs," whis- 
 pered 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 
 21 
 
322 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 Avould 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 silence again, except the voice of 
 Jenny, who seemed to be protesting against any move- 
 ment 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 fugi- 
 tives 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFICER. 323 
 
 " You may take a peck of corn in a bag for Jenny, 
 Peters. Wc 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 dis- 
 covery ; 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. Wc 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. Xo 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 iu a whisper. 
 
 They listened for a moment longer to the quick move- 
 ments of Peters in the stable below. It was evident that 
 Jenny was duly caparisoned for service ; and then an- 
 other 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 
 
324 TUB YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 levelled a blow at his head 
 with the handle of the pitchfork, which felled him to the 
 floor. 
 
 He sank do^vn 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 whis- 
 per, as he crouched down behind the grain chest. 
 
 " Are you going to stay here?" demanded Somers, as- 
 tonished 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 o^^^ler 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 325 
 
 Southern-confederacy oaths: "where are you? what 
 are you about ? " 
 
 Of course, the orderly could not answer ; and his si- 
 lence only added to the rage of his master, who con- 
 tinued to swear in a manner which must have disgusted 
 the gentle Jenny, and the other respectable horse stand- 
 ing 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 da/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." 
 
326 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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," an- 
 swered 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 at- 
 tempted 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. Do Banyan fired : the 
 officer sank down, not killed, but badly wounded. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 327 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 DR. SCOVILLE S PATIENT. 
 
 ^^^•HE ball from De Banyan's pistol had passed 
 m^ through the right side of the officer ; and he 
 \JJy 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 iu this forsaken condition. 
 
 " Come, my boy : we have no time to lose. It's day- 
 light now, and we ought to be five miles from the city 
 before this time," said De Banyan, as he moved towards 
 tlie 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," 
 
328 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; Oli, 
 
 " But he will bleed to death if we leave him here." 
 
 " Let him bleed to death : I cau't help that. Many 
 a better man than he has bled to death since this war 
 began. Come along, Somers ! 'S^^lat 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," re- 
 plied Somers j whose arm was still numb from the effect 
 of the shot. 
 
 " That's a misfortune. I am afraid it will spoil every 
 thing. 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 ene- 
 mies. Let me see your arm." 
 
 The captain examined the wounded member, which 
 was now bleeding very freely. He^^ied the handker- 
 chief around the arm, and did the best which the cir- 
 cumstances 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 Avas an excellent animal. De Banyan, 
 knowing how much might depend upon the endurance of 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 320 
 
 the liorses 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. "\Ye 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 Confeder- 
 acy ; thus proving that she was a neutral horse, or cher- 
 ished Union sentiments. But the other horse could not 
 keep pace with her,..aiid^De Banyan was compelled to re- 
 strain 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. 
 
330 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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, 
 Ihcy discovered a negro approaching them. 
 
 "Where does this road lead to?" demanded De Ban- 
 yan, 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 unneces- 
 sary 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 do^vn 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 ? " 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 331 
 
 '' 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 for 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 
 liard gallop of the horse he rode. 
 
 " Who lives in ihat house? " demanded De Banyan of 
 the negro, pointing to a splendid dwelling a short dis- 
 tance 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. 
 
332 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 " Dat's so, massa ! " 
 
 " "What's Dr. Scoville? " asked De Banyan hopefully. 
 
 " Secesh, massa, — drefful secesh. He done been in 
 de array for 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." 
 
 Dc Banyan started his horse again, followed by 
 8(jniers ; 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 insup- 
 portable. 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 com- 
 panion, 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." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 333 
 
 " Leave you ? I haven't the remotest idea of doing 
 any thing 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 ! ^Ye 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 Avhat 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. Seoville's house. 
 It was evident that he was about to resort to some des- 
 perate expedient to retrieve the sliattered fortunes of his 
 party ; but he kept his own counsel ; and Somers yielded 
 
334 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 himself to the master will of his companion like a child, 
 as indeed he was in his exhausted and suffering condi- 
 tion. 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 Avas 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 Avas 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, with- 
 out 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 335 
 
 " Wc 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 suf- 
 ferer. 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 has- 
 tened to obey the order. 
 
336 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 mantle, 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 for- 
 bidding 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, Avith 
 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 char- 
 acter of the gentleman who stood before liim. 
 
 " 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. 
 
Captain Soniers Wounded. Page 3-37, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 337 
 
 ' 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 w^aste words w^hen my friend is dying, 
 for aught I know. Will you attend to this man ? " 
 *'Who is he?" 
 
 "He is a man shot throuo^h the arm, and needino- 
 instant surgical attendance," answered De Banyan im- 
 patiently. " 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 
 tliough he had been a new-born babe. The blood was 
 stanched, and the wound dressed as skilfully as human 
 
 n 
 
338 THE YOUNQ LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 liands and human knowledge could perform the opera- 
 tion. 
 
 " 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 liome," said the doctor satirically. 
 
 " I think you are worthy of the honor. Dr. Scoville. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 339 
 
 As to your humble house, I think it is very well got up, 
 creditable to your taste, aud 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 
 farther 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 any thing sharp enough to 
 dash so ready a talker. " If you do me the honor to 
 
340 THE TO UNO LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 remain here a week, I shall have better opportunities of 
 hearing your marvellous experience, Captain Sheffield. 
 Ah, what have we here ? " continued he as three horse- 
 men 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. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AUMY OFFICER. 341 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 DE BANYAN AT WORK. 
 
 (Vy^OW do you feel, my dear boy?" asked Captain 
 plwjl de Banyan as soon as the doctor had left the 
 / ^ ^ f 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 any thing." 
 
 " What have you told him? " 
 
 " Nothing ; and I don't intend to tell him any thing. 
 
342 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 plough-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 Eoad. He 
 could only hope for the best, expecting nothing but 
 disaster. 
 
 " Good ! Bully for the doctor ! " exclaimed De Ban- 
 yan 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 343 
 
 • 
 
 could be expected to do under the circumstances, be- 
 sides delivering them up to the military authorities. 
 
 " I expect him to protect us to the utmost of his abil- 
 ity ; 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. S. oville to protect them, he Avas 
 curious to hear what the soldiers and what the doctor 
 liad 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 w^ant 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.'* 
 
344 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " I dou'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 head- 
 quarters." 
 
 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 hung 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 ser- 
 geant. 
 
 "Do any thing you please: but don't you enter ray 
 house. Every man, woman, and child here is under 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 345 
 
 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 him- 
 self in front of the captain, thrust his hands deep 
 down into the pockets of hh pants, and stared at his 
 guest with all the vigor of an active and piercin/>- eye. 
 
 " You say that I am ; but I adhere to my original res- 
 olution, 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 
 
346 THE TO UNO LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 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 hospi- 
 tality, and despise you as much as you do me," answered 
 De Banyan. 
 
 " Despise me ! How dare you " — 
 
 "Oh ! I dare do any thing ; 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 pre- 
 cisely 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 347 
 
 abruptly from tlie 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 com- 
 forting 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, at- 
 tended by half a company of cavalry. Of course, the 
 captain was exceedingly curious to knoAv the result of 
 this interview, which was conducted in the most cour- 
 
348 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 teous manner ; and he was so impolite as to play the 
 part of a listener. The officer was informed that Cap- 
 tain Sheffield had been dangerously wounded by the fu- 
 gitives ; but the eccentric physician positively refused to 
 have his guests taken from his house, assuring the pro- 
 vost-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 evi- 
 dent that the doctor was the greatest man in Petersburg, 
 and must have his own way. 
 
 The result of the conference was, that the provost-mar- 
 shal yielded the point, and a sentinel was placed at the 
 door of Somers's chamber, to which the captain had re- 
 treated. The officer visited the room, and fully identi- 
 fied his prisoner, between Avhom 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 pro- 
 vost-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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 349 
 
 Avorse tliau he really was. Dr. Scoville, though he 
 still kept his word and maintained his position with re- 
 gard 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 equa- 
 nimity, and still declared that he should never be hung. 
 
 '^ 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 id^a, 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 o^vn escape, and leave him to his fate ; but the brave 
 fellow steadily refused to desert him under any circum- 
 stances 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. 
 
350 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 The work had commenced in his mind ; and Somers 
 watched his movements with interest, yet without hope. 
 On one side of the fireplace in the room there was a 
 door, which was locked, but Avhich 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 fireplace, 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 ^varning 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 en- 
 dured the tortures of a month of suspense ; but, with a 
 ghastly smile, he told his companion that the hour for 
 action had come. 
 
 " 'SYhat 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 James River. Are you very sure that you can 
 stand the fatigue of a long walk?" 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 351 
 
 " 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 with- 
 out 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 Avas the open window, and 
 the rope made of the bed-linen, which De Banyan had 
 
352 THE YOUNO LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 pulled with bis hands till it had the appearance of hav- 
 ing- 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. 
 
 Every thing 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 defen- 
 sive, which the prudent captain could not reject. Care- 
 fully opening the door, he presented himself to the aston- 
 ished negroes. With considerable difficulty, he hushed 
 their noisy exclamations, and opened the case so elo- 
 quently, 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 com- 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 353 
 
 fort able quarters under the building. There was no 
 cellar under the stable, and the space which they occu- 
 pied 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 witli 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 imsuccessful : 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. 
 
 23 
 
354 THE YOUNG LIEUTENAjST; OR, 
 
 c 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 ANOTHER COMMISSION. 
 
 'HE horses which De Banyan and Somers rode 
 were those taken from the stable of Captain 
 Sheffield, w^hich 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 in- 
 formation 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 con- 
 cealed in the vicinity of the city, and that, at night, they 
 would attempt to make their w^ay 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 prob- 
 able they w^ould have been taken if the doctor had not 
 
THE ADVEXTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICE n. 355 
 
 been so obliging as to inform Aliek 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 uugenerous'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 ex- 
 tremely 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 
 
356 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 Strength in brandy, — only as a 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 
 tlian 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 
 
THE ADVENTUJiES OF AN ARMY OFFICEIi. 357 
 
 to his fate ; but De Banyan declared that he would be 
 hung 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 des- 
 peration. 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. 
 *' Hah, Somers ! " 
 
 But Somers heeded not the word, and still spurred on, 
 till the captain, who rode the fastest animal, could over- 
 take him. He succeeded in stopping the furious rider, 
 and in making him understand that they had reached the 
 end of their journey in tliis direction. They returned to 
 the bridge, where the sharp eye of the captain had dis- 
 cerned 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 lo9se, and the captain and Alick took 
 the oars. 
 
 After pulling for half an hour, they were rewarded by 
 
<^58 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OF, 
 
 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 w^aters 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 
 beep 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 as- 
 sisted 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 this duty. But the con- 
 sciousness 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 
 
tup: ADlEyrUIiES OF AX AJiMY OFFICEU. 359 
 
 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 pro- 
 vost-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 hos- 
 pitality. 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 gun- 
 boat dropped her Anchor off Harrison's Landing. 
 Somers, who had slept for several hours, was more com- 
 fortable, 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 head- 
 quarters of the division. Leaning on the arm of De 
 Banyan, he entered the tent of the general. 
 
360 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " 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 re- 
 sponded 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 marvellous story 
 of their capture by the rebels, and their escape from 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 3G1 
 
 Petersburg. It is quite likely that he did not add his 
 experieuce iu Teuuessec ; init, wheu the general called on 
 Somers at the hospital the next morning, the latter sup- 
 plied all that had been withheld. The general had % 
 higher regard for the captain's patriotism than ever 
 before ; for he had voluntarily renounced the ranks of 
 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 ad- 
 visable 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. lie 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 
 
362 THE YOUXn LTTrUTENANT ; Oli, 
 
 coudition, the general took from his pocket one of those 
 great otficial envelopes which so often carry joy to the 
 heart of the gallant officer. Somers was amazed. It 
 ODuld not be possible that his own promotion was indi- 
 cated 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 tre- 
 mendous influence, both at Washington, and with the 
 military authorities of his native State. 
 
 Recalling his former declaration to Captain de Ban- 
 yan, he was fully resolved to decline any further promo- 
 tion, at least until he had done something which entitled 
 him to this distinction. The general held up the formi- 
 dable packet, while Somers's pale face was suflTused 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 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AX ARMY OFFTCEn. 363 
 
 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 AVash-^" 
 ington." 
 
 "•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 way- 
 laid 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 affec- 
 tionate 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." 
 
364 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 " Come, now, Somers, that is cruel ! A friend of 
 mine, just before the battle of Solferino," — 
 
 " Confound the battle of Solferino, Major de Ban- 
 yan ! " 
 
 " 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 any thing of the sort. Here's the oiTicial 
 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 strug- 
 gling for existence in his eyes, — " Somers, you have dono 
 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 ! " ex- 
 claimed the major as he stood with the unopened docu- 
 ment 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 " — 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 365 
 
 " 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 deso- 
 lated 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 com- 
 plain. 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 injunc- 
 tion of the general. 
 
36t) THE YOUNG LIEUTEXAXT; OR, 
 
 " Now promise me, major, that you will never say 
 Magenta or any thing 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 array, 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 
 Avon a swift reward. 
 
 On the following day, they parted on board the trans- 
 port 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, Avent Avith him. 
 
THE ADVE^TUUE^ UF AxV AIIMY UFFlCEli. oG7 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 WASHINGTON, BOSTON, AND PINCHBROOK. 
 
 CHOUGH 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 AYashington, the distin- 
 guished gentleman having been detained by important 
 public business. As soon as he could make himself pre- 
 sentable, he hastened to pay his respects to the senator, 
 and thank him for his kindness. He Avas 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 cap- 
 tain, 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 car- 
 
3G8 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT ; OR, 
 
 ried away by the witching arts of pretty, graceful little 
 creatures like Emraa Guilford. Perhaps the remem- 
 brance of the scene on the railroad was some excuse for 
 him ; and it is entirely unnecessary to apologize for any 
 thing 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 re- 
 marked upon his pale face and rather attenuated form. 
 He told her wlien 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 obli- 
 gations to you for all your kindness to me and to my 
 friend. Major de Banyan washed to be kindly remem- 
 bered to you." 
 
THE ADVESTUllKS OF AN AliMY OFFICER. 369 
 
 " I am happy to hoar from tlie 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 any thing 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 him- 
 self quite a lion in Washington. He was introduced to 
 senators and representatives ; and on the following even- 
 ing actually took the President of the United States by 
 the hand, just as though he had been one of the patri- 
 archs of Pinchbrook, 
 
 In spite of all these brilliant surroundings, Somers 
 was anxious to get home. He was too feeble to endure 
 
 24 
 
870 THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 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 do^\Ti. 
 
 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 ; 
 w^hile to Lilian he stanamered, couldn't remember any 
 thing, 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, 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. 371 
 
 Glendale, and White-oak Swamp, Miss Ashford," said 
 he ; " aud I shall keep them for future service of the 
 same kind. If I am killed iu 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 yoii 
 would dare to stand up before the cannons, and the 
 muskets, and the bayonets." 
 
 " "VYhen I feel like running away, I always think of 
 my socks," said Somers. 
 
 But the carriage had come for him, aud 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 grand- 
 mother, who was out of town that day. Of course, 
 Somers was deeply interested in the venerable old 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 Cap- 
 
372 THE YOUXG LIEUTENANT; OR, 
 
 tain Somers carried too many guns for liim, gracefully 
 yielded the point. 
 
 "Bless my stars, if there ain't Thomas ! " cried Mrs. 
 Somers as^ she jnmped up from the dinner-table, and 
 actually upset Ihe 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 throujrh so many perils, and restored 
 him to the hearts of the loved ones who yearned for him 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ARMY OFFICER. • 373 
 
 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 tlie 
 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 corys d'armee — 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 mis- 
 fortune. 
 
 THE END. 
 
LIBRARY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 
 
 BY OLIVER, OPTIC. 
 I. 
 
 THE BOAT OLTTBj 
 
 OB, THE BUNKERS OP mPPLETON". 
 II. 
 
 ALL ABOARD; 
 
 OB, LIFE ON THE LAKE. 
 
 in. 
 . LITTLE BY LITTLE; 
 
 OB, THE CRDTSE OF THE FLYA^WAY. 
 IV. 
 
 TEY AGAIN; 
 
 OB, THE TBTAT.S AND TRIUMPHS OF HABRY ^S^^TEST. 
 
 V. 
 
 NOW OE NEVER; 
 
 OB, THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT. 
 VI. 
 
 POOR AND PROUD; 
 
 OE, THE FORTUNES OF KATY REDBURN. 
 Six volumes, put up in a neat box. 
 
 LEE & SHEP-^^lRD, FubUeliers. 
 
RIVERDAIE STORY EOOKS 
 
 ^Y OLIVER OI>TIC. 
 
 12 vols., in neat box. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE LITTLE 3i^ER CHANT. 
 
 n. 
 
 THE -SrOXJ2Srca- VOYAOEHS, 
 
 III. 
 
 THE CHRlSTnyCAS OIFT. 
 
 lY. 
 > ^ aSOLL^Sr -A.3SriD I. 
 
 V. 
 XJITOLE BE2Sr- 
 
 VI. 
 BIRTH-IDA-S^- :PAIiT-52-- 
 
 VTI. 
 
 ^^1I. 
 
 CARELESS KATE. 
 IX. 
 
 ROBijsrsoosr crtjsoe, jr, 
 
 X. 
 THE I>lC3SriC I=>ARTY. 
 
 XI. 
 THE OOLr> THUSwIBLE- 
 
 xn. 
 
 THE IDO-SOli^ETHIIsrca-S. 
 
 I^E & SIIEI>AIir>, 
 
 Publisliers. 
 
BY OLIVER OI>TIC. 
 
 L 
 HICH AJNJy HXJ3rB3LJE; 
 
 Or, Th.e Missioia of Bertlia Grrant. 
 
 IL 
 XIV SCnOOIL. AJVI> OUT; 
 
 Or, The ConLq.nest of !Rich.ard Grrant. 
 
 ni. 
 
 Or, the Yovmg Fugitives. 
 
 (In prep&ntion.} 
 
 IV. 
 
 (In prepantion.) 
 
 V. 
 HOI>E .AJVr> H^TTE. 
 
 (In prepandon.) 
 
 VI. 
 
 (In preparation.) 
 
 Ti'FlE Sc SJaOEFJiLRJD, T^viblisliers. 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 29