Kansas University Weekly.
83
hidden enemy dealt us many a deadly blow. The sentinel on his lonely post, lost in thoughts of those dear, but far away, would hear a rustle in the underbrush; a rifle in unseen hands would send its deadly missile, and there would be a blue heap on the reddening snow. His comrades, coming up in eager haste, would find him dead, and all around the silent, wooded hills, as quiet as if they had never echoed to the death shot. Now and then a detachment returning from a scout would be attacked and there would be a stubborn fight; men would fall on both sides; but when reinforcements would come dashing to the rescue the foe would melt away as if into the ground.
"This kind of warfare had continued for weeks and with one exception we had not even seen the leader of the bushwhackers. We had planned many a scheme for his undoing, but he had baffled them all; we had killed a number of his men, but we also had lost many. One morning our captain ordered us into the saddle for what was intended to be a three days' scout up into a part of the hills we had not visited before. An old negro had come into the camp with a story that the chief of the bushwhackers was wounded, and was in a cave guarded by only a few men. We rode away in high spirits, hoping that at last our work was to bear fruit. Of course we found out later that the story was only a creation of the darkey's brain. The chief was much nearer than we supposed.
"That night, before going into camp, we passed a large stone house, some distance back from the road and at the foot of a hill. Darkness was coming on as we went into camp and posted our pickets. After our supper was cooked and eaten, while the men were sitting around the little fires they had built, one of the sergeants who had been a chum of mine before we went into the army, a daring fellow, always ready for any adventure, came to me and said:
"Lieutenant, how would it strike you to go back to that stone house we just passed, and get a square meal? I saw some women there as we came by, and by using a little money
we could probably get them to cook for us.' "The plan suited me exactly, and carrying only our revolvers, we slipped past the guards and made our way unobserved toward the house which was about three-quarters of a mile distant. Some dogs came out as we approached, but we drove them back and knocked at the door. After some delay we were admitted to the house by a frightened woman who said she would try to find us something to eat. We waited while she and another woman prepared our supper. It seemed to me that I had never heard two women make as much noise in a kitchen as they did. Finally the supper was ready and we sat down to the table with sharp appetites. I was just taking the second bite from a large piece of bread and butter when I looked up at my comrade. Never before had I seen such an expression on his face. It caused me to turn in my chair and look behind me. I gazed straight into the barrel of a big revolver in the hands of one whom I knew at once from the descriptions I had heard, to be none other than the chief for whom we had been looking. We had found him. Another member of the outfit had the drop on the sergeant and the doorway behind us was filled with men. As there was nothing else to do we put up our hands.
"They did not permit us to fininsh our supper, but disarmed us and stripped us of our jackets and boots, and after tying our hands, they went into the other room and left us with two guards. They held some kind of council, and at first did not know what to do with us—for it was some time before they came out again. The chief then ordered us to come with him, and accompanied by the whole party we left the house. They took us up a pathway that led along the hillside, and in a short time we came to a large excavation, where the rock had evidently been quarried for the house. The moon had risen by this time and everything showed distinctly in its light.
"Our captors led us down into the pit. Three sides of it rose abruptly; one side, in the full light of the moon, shone clear and white against