The Drummer Boy

  XXX.

  THE BOYS MEET AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.

  Frank was anxious to inquire further concerning his apostate brother; butat this moment one of Foster's aids came up, and saw the prisoner.

  "Where did you find that fellow?" The story was quickly told. "Well,"said the officer, "you've taken the first prisoner to-day."

  He then turned to question the captive, who seemed inclined to talkfreely about the position and force of the confederates.

  "I'll take this fellow in charge," he said, perceiving that it was in hispower to give valuable information. "Come, too, if you like."

  "I thank you; I want to join my company," said Frank.

  "You'd rather do that than come and see the general?"

  "I can see him any time when he wants me, but we don't have a fight everyday, sir."

  "Well, he shall hear of you. Can I do any thing for you?"

  "If you please, you may take this gun that I have captured; one is enoughfor me."

  The officer took it, saying, as he turned to go,--

  "A spirited boy, and as modest as he is brave!"

  In the mean time Frank's comrades in the fight were cutting their waythrough a thick swampy jungle in the direction of the enemy's left flank.

  Relieved of his prisoner, his ardor inflamed rather than quenched by theevil tidings he had heard of his brother, he followed in their track,passing directly across the fire of the battery.

  The hurricane of destruction swept howling over him. The atmosphere wasthick with smoke. Grape-shot whizzed through the bushes. The scream ofrifled shot seemed to fill the very air with terror and shuddering. Rightbefore him a shell struck a forest tree, shivering limbs and trunk in aninstant, as if a bolt from heaven had fallen upon it. He felt that at anymoment his tender body too might be torn in pieces; but he believed God'sarm was about him, and that he would be preserved. Deep and solemn, happyeven, was that conviction. A sense of the grand and terrible filled him;the whole soul of the boy was aroused. He was not afraid of any thing. Hefelt ready for any thing, even death, in his country's service.

  The mud was deep, and savage the entanglement of bushes on every side.But the troops, breaking through, had made the way comparatively easy tofollow, and Frank soon overtook the regiment.

  Great was Captain Edney's surprise at sight of him, with a gun in hishand and with the glow of youthful heroism in his face.

  "What are you here for?"

  "To beg permission to take Winch's place in the ranks."

  "Your place is with the ambulance corps."

  "I got excused from that, sir. I am not strong enough to carry heavy menthrough the swamps," said Frank, with a smile.

  "But strong enough to take a man's place in the ranks!" said CaptainEdney.

  "I would like to have you try me, sir."

  You may know that Captain Edney loved the boy to whom he gave so manywords and such serious thought at a time of action and peril. Perhaps hehad heard of Winch's pusillanimity, and understood the spirit whichprompted Frank to fill his place. Certain it is he saw in the lad's eyethe guarantee that, if permitted, he would give no cowardly account ofhimself that day. So, reluctantly, dreading lest evil might happen tohim, he granted his request; and with a thrill of joy, Frank sprang toAtwater's side.

  "I'm here, old Abe!"

  "I'm glad--and sorry!" said Abe.

  The company had halted, awaiting the movement of the troops in front.

  "We are getting into a splendid position!" said Gray, who had passedthrough the undergrowth to reconnoitre. "We're fairly on their flank, andnot discovered yet!"

  "How far did you go?" asked Captain Edney.

  "To the clearing, which is just there where the woods look lighter. Icould see the guns of the battery blazing away, and rebels in the woodssupporting it. They're too busy to notice us."

  "We're discovered, though!" said Captain Edney as a bullet came chippingits way among the twigs above them.

  "The sharpshooters are after us!" said Gray, gayly. "And now we're afterthem!"

  The order was given to advance. The men dashed forward through thebushes. They soon made the clearing, and marching along its edge, openedfire by file upon the battery and the rebels in the woods.

  "You do well, Frank!" said Atwater, seeing his young companion coollyloading and firing at his side.

  "It's a perfect surprise to them! they didn't think we could do it!"cried Gray, elated. "Lively, boys! lively."

  The firing, regular at first, running along the line from right to left,soon became a continual rattling, each man loading at will, and firingwhenever an enemy's head showed itself.

  "There! I popped you over, you sneaking rebel!" cried Seth Tucket,watching the effect of his shot. "Take the fellow next to him there,Harris! behind that stump!"

  "Let him put up his head a little higher!" said Harris, taking aim.

  He fired. The rebel dropped, not behind the stump, but beside it.

  "You've saved him!" shouted Tucket. "That'll pay for Ellis and JackWinch!"

  The fire of the enemy in the woods was soon concentrated on CaptainEdney's company, which happened to be most exposed.

  "Fire and load lying!" rang the captain's voice through the din.

  Frank saw those next him throw themselves down behind a fallen tree. Hedid the same. The trunk presented an excellent rest for his musket, andhe fired across it. But when he came to load, he found difficulty. He hadbeen exercised in the manual of arms, yet the operation of ramming thecartridge while on his back was beyond his practice. Give him time, andhe could do it. But he felt that time was precious, and that every shottold.

  He glanced at Atwater, resting on his left side as he brought his gunback after discharging it; taking out his cartridge; then turning on hisback, holding the piece with both hands and placing the butt between hisfeet; and in that position, with the barrel over his breast, chargingcartridge, drawing rammer, and so forth.

  All which the tall soldier performed scientifically and quickly. YetFrank saw that it took even him much longer to load lying than standing.What, then, could he hope to do?

  What he did was this. He deliberately got upon his feet, and with theballs singing around him, proceeded unconcernedly with his loading.

  "Down!" called Atwater to him; "down! You're making a target ofyourself!"

  Frank resolutely went on with his loading.

  "Down, there! down, Frank!" shouted Captain Edney.

  Frank shouted back,--

  "I can't load unless I stand up, sir!"

  "Never mind that! Down!" repeated his captain, peremptorily.

  "I've got my cartridge down, any way," said Frank, triumphantly, droppingagain behind the log.

  "Why don't you obey orders?" cried Gray.

  "The orders were to load and fire, and I was bound to obey them beforeany others!" said Frank, preparing to prime.

  Just then Atwater, who was again on his back, suddenly dropped his piece,which fell across his left arm, and brought his right hand to his breast.The movement was so abrupt and unusual it attracted Frank's attention.

  "Are you hit, Abe?"

  And in an instant he saw the answer to his hurried question in a gush ofblood which crimsoned the poor, brave fellow's breast.

  "It has come!" said Atwater.

  "How could it--and you lying down so!" ejaculated Frank.

  "I don't know--never mind me!" replied Abe, faintly.

  Then Frank remembered the mysterious shots aimed at him and Sinjin in thewoods, and the subsequent solution of the mystery. He looked up--allaround--overhead.

  "What's the trouble, Manly?" screamed Tucket. "What do you see?"

  "There!" Frank shouted, pointing upwards; "there! the man that killedAtwater!"

  And in the branches of a tree, which stood but a few paces in front ofthem, he showed, half hidden by the thick masses, the figure of a rebel.

  The sharpshooter was loading his piece. Frank saw
the movement, and wouldhave hastened to avenge the death of his friend before the assassin couldfire again. But he was out of caps, and must borrow. Tucket's gun wasready.

  "'Die thou shalt, gray-headed ruffian!'"

  Seth shouted the words up at the man in the tree, and lying on his back,brought the butt of his gun to his shoulder, aimed heavenward, and fired.

  Scarce had flame shot from the muzzle, when down came the rebel's guntumbling to the ground; pursued out of the tree by something thatresembled a huge bird, with spread wings, swooping down terribly, andstriking the ground with a jar heard even amid the thunder of battle.

  It was the rebel himself.

  "'Rattling, crashing, thrashing, thunder down!'" screamed Seth Tucket,his ruling passion, poetry, strong even in battle.

  The man, pitching forwards in his fearful somerset, had fallen within afew feet of Frank. The boy recovering from his astonishment at the awfulsight, felt a strange curiosity to see if he was dead.

  He looked over the log. There lay the wretch, a hideous heap, the face ofhim upturned and recognizable.

  Where had Frank seen that grim countenance, that short, stiff, iron-grayhair? Somewhere, surely. He looked again, trying to fix his memory.

  "I swan to man, ef it ain't old Buckley!"

  Seth was right. It was the Maryland secessionist whose turkeys the boyshad stolen, and who, in consequence, had made haste to avenge his wrongsby joining the confederate army.

  A strange, sickening sensation came over Frank at the discovery. Thus theevil he had done followed him. But for that wild freak of plundering thepoor man's poultry-yard, he might be plodding now on his Maryland farm,and Atwater would not be lying there so white and still with a bullet inhis breast.