FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. 

BY

HARRY CASTLEMON

 CONTENTS

 CHAPTER I. --THE NEW PAYMASTER

 CHAPTER II. --A NIGHT EXPEDITION

 CHAPTER III. --ARCHIE IN A PREDICAMENT

 CHAPTER IV. --A MARK FOR THE UNION

 CHAPTER V. --A RUN FOR LIFE

 CHAPTER VI. --FRANK TURNS DETECTIVE

 CHAPTER VII. --FRANK'S FIRST COMMAND

 CHAPTER VIII. --AN UNLUCKY FLIGHT

 CHAPTER IX. --UP THE WASHITA

 CHAPTER X. --THE PROMOTION

 CHAPTER XI. --THE RIVAL SPIES

 CHAPTER XII. --A SCOUTING PARTY

 CHAPTER XIII. --TOM THE COXSWAIN

 CHAPTER XIV. --A REBEL TRICK

 CHAPTER XV. --HONORABLY DISCHARGED

FRANK ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI. 

CHAPTER I. 

The New Paymaster. 

Vicksburg had fallen, and the army had marched in and taken possessionof the city. How Frank longed to accompany it, that he might see theinside of the rebel stronghold, which had so long withstood the advanceof our fleet and army! He stood leaning against one of the monster guns, which, at his bidding, had spoken so often and so effectively in favorof the Union, and for two hours watched the long lines of war-wornsoldiers as they moved into the works. At length a tremendous cheerarose from the city, and Frank discovered a party of soldiers on thecupola of the court-house, from which, a few moments afterward, floatedthe Stars and Stripes. Then came faintly to his ears the words of afamiliar song, which were caught up by the soldiers in the city, then bythose who were still marching in, and "We'll rally round the flag, boys, " was sung by an immense choir. The rebels in the streets gazedwonderingly at the men on the spire, and listened to the song, and thetriumphant shouts of the conquering army, which proclaimed the beginningof the downfall of their confederacy. 

To Frank, it was one of the proudest moments of his life--a sight hewould not have missed to be able to float at the mast-head of his vesselthe broad pennant of the admiral. All he had endured was forgotten; andwhen the Old Flag was unfurled in the air which had but a short timebefore floated the "stars and bars, " he pulled off his cap and shoutedat the top of his lungs. 

Having thus given vent to his feelings of exultation, in obedience toorders, he commenced the removal of his battery on board the Trenton. Itwas two days' work to accomplish this, but Frank, who was impatient tosee the inside of the fortifications worked with a will, and finally thebattery was mounted in its old position. On the following day, theTrenton moved down the river, and came to anchor in front of Vicksburg. Shore liberty was granted, and Frank, in company with several of hisbrother officers, strolled about the city. On every side the houses borethe marks of Union shot and shell, and the streets were blocked withfortifications, showing that had the city been taken by storm, it wasthe intention of the rebels to dispute every inch of the ground. Everything bore evidence to the fact that the fight had been a most desperateone; that the rebels had surrendered only when they found that it wasimpossible to hold out longer. 

In some places the streets ran through deep cuts in the bank, and inthese banks were the famous "gopher holes. " They were [ca]ves dug inthe ground, into which a person, if he happened to hear a shell coming, might run for safety. Outside the city, the fortifications were mostextensive; rifle-pits ran in every direction, flanked by strong forts, whose battered walls attested the fury of the iron hail that had beenpoured upon them. It was night before Frank was aware of it, sointerested was he in every thing about him, and he returned on board hisvessel, weary with his long walk, but amply repaid by seeing the insideof what its rebel occupants had called "the Gibraltar of America. "

During the next two days, several vessels of the squadron passed thecity, on their way to new fields of action further down the river. Oneof them--the Boxer, a tin-clad, mounting eight guns--had Frank on board. He had been detached from the Trenton, and ordered to join this vessel, which had been assigned a station a short distance below Grand Gulf. Asusual, he had no difficulty in becoming acquainted with his newmessmates, and he soon felt perfectly at home among them. He found, ashe had done in every other mess of which he had been a member, thatthere was the usual amount of wrangling and disputing, and it amused himexceedingly. All the mess seemed to be indignant at the caterer, who didnot appear to stand very high in their estimation. The latter, helearned, had just made an "assessment" upon the mess to the amount often dollars for each member; and as there was no paymaster on board, theofficers had but very little ready money, and were anxious to know whereall the funds paid into the treasury went to. He also found that thecaterer's authority was not as much respected as he had a right toclaim, for during the very first meal Frank ate in the mess, a disputearose which threatened for a time to end in the whole matter beingcarried before the captain. 

One of the members of the mess, who was temporarily attached to thevessel, was a pilot who had been pressed into the service. He was agenuine rebel, and frequently said that he was called a traitor becausehe was in favor of allowing the South to "peaceably withdraw from theUnion. " The doctor, a little, fat, jolly man, and a thorough Unionist, who believed in handling all rebels without gloves, took up the sword, and the debate that followed was long and stormy. The pilot, as itproved, hardly knew the reasons why the South had attempted to secede, and was constantly clinching his arguments by saying, "Men who knowmore, and who have done more fighting during this war than you, DoctorBrown, say that they have a right to do so. " The debate waxed hotter andhotter, until some of the other members of the mess joined in with thedoctor against the pilot, and the caterer, thinking that the noise thedisputants made was unbecoming the members of a well-regulated mess, atlength shouted:

"Silence! Gentlemen, hereafter talking politics in this wardroom isstrictly prohibited. "

"Eh?" ejaculated the doctor, who was thoroughly aroused, "Do you expectus to sit here and listen to a conscript running down the Government--aman who never would have entered the service if he had not beencompelled to do so? No, sir! I wouldn't hold my tongue under suchcircumstances if all the six-foot-four caterers in the squadron shouldsay so. You are not a little admiral, to come down here and hoist yourbroad pennant in this mess-room. "

The caterer was astounded when he found his authority thus set atdefiance, and without further parley he retired to his room; and in afew moments returned with the books, papers, and the small amount ofmoney that belonged to the mess; laying them on the table, he said:

"Gentlemen, you will please elect another caterer. "

The debate was instantly hushed, for not one member of the mess, besidesthe caterer just resigned, could have been hired to take theresponsibility of managing affairs. When the officers had finished theirdinner, they walked carelessly out on deck, as if the question of wherethe next meal was to come from did not trouble them in the least. Nothing was done toward an election; no one took charge of the books orpapers, and when the table was cleared away they were thrownunceremoniously under the water-cooler. The money, however, was takencare of by the doctor. Dinner-time came, and when Frank, tired andhungry, was relieved from the deck, he inquired what was to be had toeat. 

"There's nothing been done about it yet, " answered the officer whorelieved him. "The steward went to several of the members of the mess, and asked what they wished served up; but they told him that they hadnothing to do with the caterer's business, and the consequence is, ifyou want any thing to eat, you will have to go into the pantry and helpyourself. "

Frank was a good deal amused at the obstinacy displayed by the differentmembers of the mess, and wondered how the affair would end. The messcould not long exist without some one to take charge of it; but forhimself he was not at all concerned. He had paid no initiation fee, because no one had asked him for it, and he knew that as long as therewere provisions in the paymaster's store-rooms, there was no danger butthat he would get plenty to eat. He found three or four officers in thepantry making their dinner on hard-tack, pickles, and raw bacon. Theywere all grumbling over the hard fare, but not one of them appearedwilling to assume the office of caterer. 

Things went on in this way for nearly a week, (during which time theyhad arrived at their station, ) and the doctor, who was fond of goodliving, could stand it no longer. He went to the caterer who hadresigned, and, after considerable urging, and a solemn promise thatpolitics should not again be discussed in the mess, the latter waspersuaded to resume the management of affairs. The change from hardcrackers and pickles to nice warm meals was a most agreeable one, andthe jolly doctor, according to promise, was very careful what questionswere brought up before the mess for discussion. 

By this time, as we have before remarked, the Boxer had arrived at herstation. Her crew thought they were now about to lead a life of idlenessand inactivity, for not a rebel had they seen since leaving Vicksburg. But one morning, while the men were engaged in washing off theforecastle, they were startled by a roar of musketry, and three of thesailors fell dead upon the deck. 

The fight that followed continued for two hours, the rebels finallyretiring, not because they had been worsted, but for the reason thatthey had grown weary of the engagement. This was the commencement of aseries of attacks which proved to be the source of great annoyance tothe crew of the Boxer. The guerrillas would appear when least expected, and the levee afforded them a secure hiding-place from which they couldnot be driven, either with big guns or small arms. They were fatalmarksmen, too; and during the week following, the Boxer's crew lost tenmen. One rebel in particular attracted their attention, and his recklesscourage excited their admiration. He rode a large white horse, andalthough rendered a prominent mark for the rifles of the sailors, healways escaped unhurt. He would ride boldly out in full view of thevessel, patiently wait for someone to expose himself, when the sharpcrack of his rifle would be followed by the report made to the captain, "A man shot, sir. "

Frank had selected this man as a worthy foe-man; and every time heappeared the young officer was on the watch for him. He was very expertwith the rifle, and after a few shots, he succeeded in convincing therebel that the safest place for him was behind the levee. One morningthe foe appeared in stronger force than usual, and conspicuous amongthem was the white horse and his daring rider. The fight that ensued hadcontinued for perhaps half an hour, when the quartermaster reported thedispatch-boat approaching. As soon as she came within range, theguerrillas directed their fire against her, to which the latter repliedbriskly from two guns mounted on her forecastle. The leader of therebels was constantly in view, cheering on his men, and discharging hisrifle as fast as he could reload. Frank fired several shots at him, andfinding that, as usual, they were without effect, he asked the captain'spermission to try a howitzer on him, which was granted. He ran below, trained the gun to his satisfaction, and waited for an opportunity tofire, during which the dispatch-boat came alongside and commencedputting off a supply of stores. 

At length the rebel mounted the levee, and reigning in his horse, sat inhis saddle gazing at the vessels, as if not at all concerned. Hepresented a fair mark, and Frank fired, but the shell went wild andburst in the woods, far beyond the rebel, who, however, beat a hastyretreat behind the levee. 

"Oh, what a shot!" shouted a voice through the trumpet that led from thepilot-house to the main deck. "What a shot--altogether too muchelevation. "

"Who's that, I wonder?" soliloquized Frank. "It _was_ a poor shot, but I'd like to see that fellow, whoever he is, do any better. "

After giving orders to have the gun reloaded and secured, he ran intothe wardroom to look after his mail, at the same time inquiring of everyone he met, "Who was that making fun of my shooting?" But no one knew, nor cared to trouble himself about the matter, for the subject ofconversation was, "We've got a new paymaster. "

Frank was pleased to hear this, but was still determined to find theperson who had laughed at his marksmanship, when he saw a pair of feetdescending the ladder that led from the cabin to the pilot-house, and amoment afterward, a smart looking young officer, dressed in the uniformof a paymaster, stood in the wardroom, and upon discovering Frank, thrust out his hand and greeted him with--

"What a shot! Been in the service more than two years, and"--

"Why, Archie Winters, is this you?" exclaimed Frank, joyfully. 

"_Paymaster_ Winters, if you please" replied Archie, with mockdignity. 

"How came you here? What are you doing? Got any money?" hurriedlyinquired Frank. 

"Got plenty of funds, " replied his cousin. "But I say, Frank, how longhas this fighting been going on?"

"Every day for the last week. "

Archie shrugged his shoulders, and looked blank. 

"I guess I had better go back to Cairo, " said he; "these rebels, I hear, shoot very carelessly. Just before we came alongside here, I wasstanding on the deck of the dispatch-boat, and some fellow cracked awayat me, sending the bullet altogether too close to my head for comfort. "

"Oh, that's nothing, so long as he didn't hit you. You'll get used tothat before you have been here a week. But, Archie, are you reallyordered to this vessel?"

Archie at once produced his orders, and, sure enough, he was an actingassistant paymaster, and ordered to "report to the commanding officer ofthe U. S. S. Boxer for duty on board that vessel. "

During the two years that Archie had been in the fleet-paymaster'soffice he had, by strict attention to his duties, worked his way up from"writer" to corresponding clerk. He had had ample opportunity to learnthe duties of paymaster, and one day he suddenly took it into his headto make application for the position. He immediately wrote to hisfather, informing him of his intention, procured his letters ofrecommendation, and a month afterward received the appointment. 

Hearing, through Frank, that the Boxer was without a paymaster, hesucceeded in getting ordered to her, and, as he had not written to hiscousin of his good fortune, the latter, as may be supposed, was takencompletely by surprise. 

Archie was speedily introduced to the officers of the vessel, who werepleased with his off-hand, easy manners, and delighted with the looks ofa small safe which he had brought with him, for they knew, by the veryparticular orders he gave concerning it, that there was money in it. 

At the end of an hour the rebels seemed to grow weary of the fight, forthey drew off their forces; then, as soon as it was safe on deck, thecousins seated themselves on the guard, to "talk over old times. " Frankgave descriptions of the fights in which he had engaged since they lastmet, and also related stories of mess-room life, with which Archie wasentirely unacquainted; and to show him how things were conducted, toldhim of the jokes the officers frequently played upon each other. 

"Speaking of jokes, " said Archie, "reminds me of a little affair I had ahand in at Cairo. 

"While the commandant of the station was absent on a leave, his placewas supplied by a gentleman whom, for short, I will call Captain Smith. He was a regular officer, had grown gray in the service, and was one ofthe most eccentric men I ever saw. He was extremely nervous, too, and ifa steamer happened to whistle while passing the wharf-boat, it wouldmake him almost wild. 

"One day, a man who lived off somewhere in the woods, came down to Cairoto get an appointment for his son as master's mate. Our office, youknow, was just to the right of the door, and, if there was any thingthat bothered me, it was for some body to stick his head over therailing when I was busy, and ask, 'Is the commandant of the station in?'There was an orderly on watch day and night, always ready to answer suchquestions, and besides, there was an abundance of notices on the wallspointing out the different offices; but in spite of this, every strangerthat came in must stop and make inquiries of me. 

"Well, this man came into the office, and as he had evidently never beenthere before, judging by the way he gaped at every thing, I told himthat it was after office hours, and that he must call again the nextmorning about nine o'clock. He took a turn or two across the floor(by-the-way, he wore squeaking boots, that made a noise like asteam-whistle), and finally went out. 

"The next evening, just as I was locking up my desk, he came in again, and I repeated what I had told him the night before, that he must comeat nine o'clock in the _morning_--not at night--if he wished to seethe captain, and he went out, after making noise enough with hissqueaking boots to set a nervous man's teeth on edge. Now, would youbelieve it, that evening, after I had finished my work, and was startingout for supper, I saw this man coming up the stairs. He met me with theusual question, 'Is the captain in?' and I suddenly hit upon a plan toget rid of him, for I had made up my mind that the man didn't know whathe was about; so I replied:

"'What do you want? Why don't you come here during our office hours, ifyou want to see me?'

"I spoke in a gruff voice, and I was so bundled up--for the night wasvery cold--that I knew he wouldn't recognize me. 

"'I've been busy all day, cap'in, ' said he; 'but the fact is'--

"I was afraid that I would be obliged to stand there in the cold andlisten to a long, uninteresting yarn, so I interrupted him. 

"'Speak quick, and don't keep me waiting. '

"'Wal, cap'in, ' said he, 'I heerd you are in want of officers, an' Icome to get a place for my son; I hear the wages are purty good. '

"'Yes, ' I replied, 'we do want officers; but does your son know anythingabout a ship?'

"'Oh, yes? He's run the river as deck-hand for goin' nigh on to threeyear. '

"'Then he ought to know something, certainly. Come around tomorrowmorning, at nine o'clock exactly, and I'll see what can be done for you. Now, mind, I say nine o'clock in the morning. '

"Well, the next morning, at the appointed time, to my utterastonishment, the man was on hand, and, as usual, commenced walking upand down the floor with his squeaking boots. The noise disturbedeveryone within hearing, and presently the captain, who was in hisoffice, and so busy that he hardly knew what he was about, spoke in asharp tone:

"'Orderly, pull off those squeaking boots!'

"'It isn't me, sir. ' said the orderly; 'it's a gentleman out herewaiting to see you, sir. '

"'Then send him in--send him in at once, so that I can get rid of thatnoise. '

"The man was accordingly shown into the presence of the captain, while Ilistened with both ears to hear what was said. 

"'Mornin', cap'in, ' he began; 'I reckon I'm here on time. '

"'Time! what time? What do you want?' inquired the captain, who alwaysspoke very fast, as though he were in a hurry to get through with whathe had to say. 'What do you want, my good man. Be lively now. '

"'Why, cap'in, I come here to get that appointment for my son in thisere navy. '

"'Appointment! For your son!' repeated the captain. 'Who is he? I neverheard of him. '

"'Wal, really now, cap'in, I'll be shot if you didn't tell me last nightthat you would make my son an officer. The wages are good, I hear, an'as I've a debt to pay off on the farm'--

"'Don't bother me!' interrupted the captain, beginning to get impatient. 

"'But, cap'in, ' urged the man, 'you can't bluff me off this 'ere way. You told me last night that you wanted officers; you know I met you onthe stairs, and you promised, honor bright. '

"'Eh!' ejaculated the captain, in surprise, 'my good man, allow me toknow what I'm about, will you? _Will_ you allow me to know myself?Orderly, ' he continued, turning to that individual, who had stood by, convulsed with laughter, which he was vainly endeavoring to conceal, 'orderly, do you think this man is in his right mind?'

"The orderly said he didn't know; but, taking the man by the arm, showedhim out of the office, telling him to come again, when the captain wasnot quite so busy. 

"The conversation had been carried on in a loud tone, and all theoccupants of the different offices had heard it, and were highly amused, for they knew that somebody had been playing a joke on the countryman;but it was a long time before I told anyone of the share I had had inthe affair. "

CHAPTER II. 

A Night Expedition. 

"The captain wishes to see you, gentlemen!" said the orderly, steppingup and saluting. 

The cousins repaired to the cabin, and after Archie had been introducedto the captain (for being utterly ignorant of the manner in which thingswere conducted on shipboard, he had not yet reported his arrival), hisorders were indorsed, and the captain, turning to his desk, ran his eyehastily over an official document, and said:

"Mr. Nelson, I have received instructions from the admiral to make youthe executive officer of this vessel. Mr. Kearney's resignation has beenaccepted, and you will take his place. I am certain, from what I knowand have heard of your past history, that I shall have no cause toregret the change. "

After a few moments' conversation with the captain upon unimportantmatters, the cousins returned to the wardroom. 

Frank's constant attention to his duties had again been rewarded, and hewas now the second in authority on board the vessel. All orders from thecaptain must pass through him, and in the absence of that gentleman hebecame commander. To say that Frank was delighted would but feeblyexpress his feelings; he was proud of the honor, and determined that hewould prove himself worthy of it. In fact, he had now reached the heightof his ambition, although he had little dreamed that it would come sosoon. He asked nothing more. He had worked hard and faithfully eversince he had entered the service, but in receiving the appointment ofexecutive officer he felt amply rewarded. 

He was young in years for so responsible a position, but he had no fearsof his ability to perform all the duties required of him, for theroutine of ship life had become as familiar to him as was the road fromLawrence to his quiet little home on the banks of Glen's Creek. But hispromotion did not affect him as it does a great many who suddenly findthemselves possessed of power. He did not "stand upon his rank, " nor inhis intercourse with his messmates endeavor to keep constantly beforetheir minds the fact that he was the second in command. Those who havebeen in the service--especially in the navy--will recall to mindincidents of this character; but our hero never forgot the respect heowed to his superiors, and his conduct toward those under him was markedby the same kindness he had always shown them. 

Frank knew that he had something of a task before him. Although he couldnow turn into his bunk at night without being called upon to stand hisregular watch, he had more difficult duties to perform. He wasresponsible for the manner in which affairs were conducted about decks, for the neat appearance of the vessel and of the men; and as the formerexecutive officer had been rather careless in this respect, Frank knewthat his first move must be made in that direction. 

For the next two days, as the rebels did not trouble them, Frank workedearly and late, and the results of his labor were soon made apparent. Every one remarked the improved appearance of the men, who, at theSunday morning muster, appeared on deck in spotless uniforms andwell-blacked shoes. After the roll had been called, and the captain, incompany with Frank, proceeded to inspect the vessel, the young officerknew that his improvements had been appreciated when the former, who wasan old sailor, said, with a smile of satisfaction:

"Mr. Nelson, this begins to look something like a ship, sir. This reallylooks like business. The admiral may come here now and inspect thevessel as soon as he pleases. "

The next morning, as Frank sat at the table in the wardroom, engaged inanswering the letters he had received by the dispatch-boat, and Archiewas in his office straightening out his books and papers, a bullet camesuddenly crashing through the cabin--a signal that the rebels had againmade their appearance. Frank, who had become accustomed to suchinterruptions, deliberately wiped his pen, corked his ink-stand, and wascarefully putting away his letters, when there was a hurrying of feet inthe office; the door flew open, and Archie, divested of his coat, bounded into the cabin, exclaiming:

"A fellow can't tell when he's safe in this country. I wish I was backin the fleet-paymaster's office. I wouldn't mind a good fair fight, butthis thing of being shot at when you least expect it isn't pleasant. "

As Archie spoke, he hurriedly seized a gun from the rack, which had beenput up in the cabin in order to have weapons close at hand, and sprangup the ladder that led into the pilothouse. Frank, although he laughedheartily at his cousin's rapid movements, was a good deal surprised, forhe had always believed him to be possessed of a good share of courage. It would, however, have tried stronger nerves than Archie's; but men whohad become familiar with such scenes, who had learned to regard themmerely as something disagreeable which could not be avoided, could notsympathize with one in his situation, and many a wink was exchanged, andmany a laugh indulged in, at the expense of the "green paymaster. "

When Frank had put away his writing materials, he ran below to see thatthe ports were all closed; after which he returned to the wardroom, and, securing a rifle, went into the pilot-house, where he found Archieengaged in reloading his gun, while the officers were complimenting himon a fine shot he had just made. 

"Mr. Nelson, " exclaimed the doctor, as Frank made his appearance, "Iguess your white horseman is done for now. The paymaster lifted him outof his saddle as clean as a whistle. "

Frank looked out at one of the ports, and, sure enough, there was thewhite horse running riderless about, and his wounded master was beingcarried behind the levee. The officers continued to fire as often as arebel showed himself, but the latter seemed to have lost all desire forfighting, for they retreated to the plantation-house which stood backfrom the river, out of range of the rifles, where they gathered in abody as if in consultation, now and then setting up defiant yells, whichcame faintly to the ears of those in the pilot-house. 

"They are saucy enough now that they are out of harm's way, " saidArchie, turning to his cousin. But the latter made no reply. He stoodleaning on his rifle, gazing at the guerrillas, as if busily engagedwith his own thoughts, and finally left the pilot-house and sought aninterview with the captain. 

"I have been thinking, sir, " said he, as he entered the cabin and tookthe chair offered him, "that if that house out there had been burnedlong ago, we should not have had ten men killed by those guerrillas. They seem to use that building as their head-quarters, and if it couldbe destroyed they would cease to trouble us. "

"That's my opinion, " replied the captain. "But who is to undertake thejob? Who's to go out there, in the face of three or four hundred rebels, and do it? _I_ can't, with a crew of only fifty men. "

"I didn't suppose it could be done openly, sir; but couldn't it beaccomplished by stratagem in the night, for instance?"

The captain shook his head; but Frank, who was not yet discouraged, continued:

"I have not made this proposition, captain, without thinking it allover--without taking into consideration all the chances for and againstit--and I still think it could be accomplished. "

"Well, how would you go to work?" asked the captain, settling back inhis chair with the air of a man who had made his decision, from which hewas not to be turned. 

Frank then proceeded to recount the plans he had laid for theaccomplishment of his object, to which the captain listened attentively, and when Frank had ceased, he rose to his feet and paced the cabin. Heknew that the young officer had before engaged in expeditions similar tothe one he now proposed, when, in carrying out his designs, he hadexhibited the skill and judgment of a veteran. In the present instance, his plans were so well laid, that there appeared to be but little chancefor failure. After a few moments' consideration, the captain againseated himself, and said:

"Well, Mr. Nelson, it shall be as you propose. If you succeed, I amcertain that this guerrilla station will be broken up; if you fail, itwill only be what many a good officer has done before you. "

"I assure you, sir, I shall leave no plan untried to insure my success, "replied Frank, as he left the cabin. 

"What's the matter now?" inquired Archie, as his cousin entered thewardroom. "Been getting a blowing up already?"

"Oh, no!" replied Frank. "Come in here, and I'll tell you all about it;"and he drew Archie into the office, where he proceeded to tell him allthat had been determined upon. When he had finished, the latterexclaimed:

"I want to go with you. Will you take me?"

Frank thought of Archie's behavior but a few moments before, andwondered what use he could posssibly be in an expedition like the oneproposed. 

"If you do go, " he answered, at length, "you'll be sorry for it. Itrequires those who are accustomed to such business; and you have neverbeen in an action in your life. The undertaking is dangerous. "

"I don't care if it is, " answered Archie. "That's just the reason why Iwant to go--to be with you; and I warrant you I'll stick to you as longas any body. "

"Besides, " began Frank, "if any thing should happen to you"--

"I'm just as likely to get back as you are, " replied Archie, excitedly, "and I want to go. "

After considerable urging, Frank finally asked and obtained permissionfor Archie to accompany the expedition, at which the latter wasoverjoyed. He was very far from realizing the danger there was in theundertaking, and had as little idea of what would be required of him ashe had of the moon. 

The cousins passed the afternoon in the pilothouse, watching themovements of the guerrillas through spy-glasses, studying the "lay ofthe land, " the directions in which the different roads ran--in short, nothing was omitted which they thought might be useful for them to know. Just before night a storm set in; the wind blew, and the rain fell intorrents; and, although Frank regarded it as something in their favor, under any other circumstances he would have preferred tumbling into bedto venturing out in it. The hammocks were not piped as usual, but allhands were to remain on deck during the night, to be ready to lendassistance in case it was required. At ten o'clock the cutter layalongside the vessel, the crew were in their places, and Frank and hiscousin, surrounded by the officers who had assembled to see them off, stood on the guards ready to start. 

"Paymaster, " said Frank, turning to his cousin, "hadn't you betterremain on board?" (He addressed him as paymaster, for, of course, itwould have been contrary to naval rules to call him by his given name inthe presence of the captain. )

"No, sir, " answered Archie, quickly buttoning up his pea-jacket with aresolute air. "Do you suppose I'm going to back out now? If you do, youare mistaken. I'm not afraid of a little rain. "

Frank made no reply, but, after shaking hands with the captain andofficers, followed his cousin into the cutter, which floated off intothe darkness amid the whispered wishes for "good luck" from all theship's company who had witnessed its departure. Frank took the helm, andturned the boat down the river. Not an oar was used, for the youngofficer did not know but the rebels had posted sentries along the bank, whom the least splashing in the water would alarm. Archie sat beside hiscousin, with his collar pulled up over his ears, and his hands thrustinto the pockets of his pea-jacket, heartily wishing that Frank hadchosen a pleasanter night for their expedition. For half an hour theyfloated along with the current in silence, until Frank, satisfied thathe had gone far enough down the river to get below the sentries, if anywere posted on the bank, gave the order to use the oars, and turned thecutter's head toward the shore, which they reached in a few moments. 

The crew quietly disembarked, and as the sailors gathered about him, Frank said, "Now, men, I'm going to leave you here until the paymaster and myselfcan go up to the house, and accomplish what we have come for. Tom, " headded, turning to the coxswain of the cutter, "you will have charge ofthe boat, and remember you are in no case to leave her. We may bediscovered, and get into a fight. If we do, and are cut off from theriver and unable to get back, I'll whistle, and you will at once answerme, so that I may know that you hear me, and pull off to the vessel. We'll take care of ourselves. Do you understand?"

The crew of the cutter were old sailors--men who had followed the seathrough storm and sunshine all their lives. They had been in more thanone action, too, during the rebellion, and had gladly volunteered forthe expedition, supposing that they were to accompany Frank wherever hewent. During the short time the latter had been on board the Boxer, theyhad become very much attached to him. Although he was a very strictofficer, and always expected every man to do his duty promptly, healways treated them with the greatest kindness, and never spoke harshlyto them. This was so different from the treatment they had usuallyreceived at the hands of their officers, that it won their hearts; and, although they admired his courage, they would have felt much betterpleased had they received orders to accompany him. 

"Don't you understand, Tom?" again asked Frank, seeing that the coxswainhesitated. 

"Oh, yes, sir, " replied the sailor, touching his hat; "I understand, sir. But, Mr. Nelson, may I be so bold as to ask one question--onefavor, I may say?"

"Certainly; speak it out, " answered Frank, who little imagined whatthoughts were passing through the minds of his men. "What is it? Do youwish to go back to the ship, and leave us here alone?"

"No, sir, " answered all the men in a breath. 

"Mr. Nelson, " said the coxswain, "I never yet refused duty because therewas danger in it, and I'm too old a man to begin now. You have here, sir, twelve as good men as ever trod a ship's deck, and you know, sir, that when you passed the word for volunteers for this expedition, youdidn't have to call twice. But we all thought that we should go with youto the end; and, to tell the truth, sir, we don't like the idea of youand the paymaster going off alone among them rebels. You are sure to getinto trouble, and we want to go with you. "

On more than one occasion had Frank been made aware of the affection hismen cherished for him, and he felt as proud of it as he did of theuniform he wore; but he had never been more affected than he was on thepresent occasion. 

"Men, " he answered, in a voice that was none of the steadiest, "I assureyou I appreciate the interest you take in my welfare, and were I goingto fight, I should certainly take you with me; but sometimes two canaccomplish more than a dozen. Besides, I promised the captain that Iwould leave you here, and I must do so. Now, remember and pull off tothe vessel if you hear me whistle. "

"Yes, sir, " replied the coxswain; "but it'll be the first time I everdeserted an officer in trouble. "

The sailors were evidently far from being pleased with this arrangement, but they were allowed no opportunity to oppose it, even had they feltinclined to do so, for Frank and his cousin speedily disappeared in thedarkness. 

CHAPTER III. 

Archie in a Predicament. 

As soon as the young officers had reached the top of the bank, theypaused to take their bearings, and to select some landmark that wouldenable them to easily find the boat again. Away off in the darkness theysaw the twinkling of a light, which they knew was in the house which theguerrillas were using as their head-quarters. 

"Now, Archie, " said Frank, "take a good look at this big tree here"(pointing to the object in question) "so that you will know it again. The boat lies in the river exactly in a line with that tree. Now, if youshould be separated from me and discovered, make straight for thecutter. But if you are cut off from it, run up the river until you get alittle above where the vessel lies, and then jump in and swim out toher. Do you understand?"

"Yes, " replied Archie. 

"Be careful of your weapons, " continued his cousin, "and keep them dryand ready for instant use. Don't be captured--whatever you do, don't becaptured!"

"I'll look out for that, " answered Archie "But, Frank, " he continued, "why did you tell the men to pull back to the vessel if we should be cutoff from the river? I should think that would be just the time you wouldwant them to remain. "

"Why, " replied Frank, "the very first thing the rebels would think of, if we were discovered, would be to capture our boat, and while part ofthem were after us, the others would run to the river and gobble upboat, crew, and all. Then they would know that we were still on shore, and would scour the country to find us. But if the boat goes off to thevessel, the rebels will be more than half inclined to believe that wehave gone off too, and, consequently, will not take the pains to hunt uswhich they would do if they _knew_ we were still on shore. But letus be moving; we've no time to waste. "

Frank started toward the house, carefully picking his way over the wet, slippery ground, now and then pausing to listen, and to reconnoiter aswell as the darkness would permit, and finally stopped scarcely astone's throw from the building. Not a guerrilla had they seen. Notdreaming that the "yankee gun-boatmen" would have the audacity to attackthem when they knew the rebels were so far superior in numbers, thelatter had neglected to post sentries, and Frank was satisfied thattheir approach had not been discovered. 

"Now, Archie, " said he, as they drew up behind a tree for concealment, "you stay here, and I'll see if I can set fire to that house. "

"There are people in it, " said his cousin; "I just saw a man pass bythat window where the light is. "

"Then they must look out for themselves, " answered Frank. "That's whatwe have to do when they shoot into our cabin. Now, you stay here, and ifyou hear any shooting, run for the boat. "

"What will _you_ do?" asked Archie. 

"Oh, I'll take care of myself. Good-bye. "

As Frank spoke he moved silently toward the house, and was soon out ofsight. 

"Now, " soliloquized Archie, "I am to stay here, am I? That's what I wasordered to do, but I don't know whether I'll obey or not. It is evidentFrank left me here to keep me out of harm's way. Perhaps he thinks thatbecause I have never smelt powder, I am a coward; but I'll show him thatI am not. "

So saying, Archie stepped out from behind his tree, and walked slowlytoward the house. When he arrived opposite the window from which thelight shone, he stopped and looked in. He did not, however, go up closeto the window, or he certainly would have been seen; but he remainedstanding at a respectful distance, so that he would have some chance forescape, in case he should be discovered. 

The sight that met his gaze would have been sufficient to deter most menfrom attempting to burn the house. The room was filled with men, some ofwhom were lying on the floor on their blankets, others sitting aroundthe table, and one or two were walking about the apartment. In thecorner stood their arms, ready to be seized at a moment's warning. Andthis was but one of the rooms; perhaps the whole house was filled withguerrillas. 

"My eye!" said Archie to himself, "what a hornet's nest would be raisedabout our ears, if we should be discovered. "

His heart beat faster than usual, as he moved back from the window, andwalked silently around to the other side of the house. Here also was awindow, from which a light shone, and as, like the other, it wasdestitute of a curtain, every thing that went on within could be plainlyseen by Archie, who took his station behind some bushes that stood at alittle distance from the house. The room had three occupants, whomArchie at once set down as officers. One of them carried his arm in asling. He was a tall, powerful-looking man, and Archie recognized in himthe daring rider of the white horse--the chief of the guerrillas. 

"I wonder what the old chap would say if he knew I was about, " thoughtArchie--"I, who gave him that wound. I'd be booked for Shreveport, certain. "

He was interrupted in his meditations by the movements of the officers, who arose and approached the door, bringing their chairs with them. Thestorm had ceased, and as there was no longer any necessity of remainingin the house, the rebels were, no doubt, moving to cooler quarters. Archie at once thought of retreating; but the thought had scarcelypassed through his mind, when the door opened, the rebels walked out onthe portico, and seating themselves in their chairs, deposited theirfeet on the railing; while the young officer stretched himself outbehind the bush, heartily wishing that he could sink into the ground outof sight. 

"A very warm evening, colonel, " said one of the rebels, fanning himselfwith his hat. 

"Very, " answered the guerrilla chief, gently moving his wounded arm, little dreaming that the one who gave him that wound was at that verymoment lying behind the bushes into which he had just thrown the stumpof his cigar. "It's very warm. I wish I had that rascally Yank that shotme, " he added, "this wound is very painful. "

Archie upon hearing this was almost afraid that the beating of hisheart, which thumped against his ribs with a noise that frightened him, would certainly reveal to the rebels the fact that the "rascally Yank"was then in their immediate vicinity. 

"But, if our plans work, " continued the colonel, "in less than a weekfrom this time they will all be on the way to Shreveport. "

"May I ask, colonel, " said the one who had not yet spoken, "how soonthose boats will be ready?"

"Major Jackson reports that they will be finished by to-morrow night, and it will take all of one day to run them down the creek to theriver. "

"Then by Thursday evening, " said the one who had first spoken, "we maybe ready to make the attempt. "

"Yes, if the night is favorable. "

"But, colonel, all these gun-boats are supplied with hot water, andthat, you know, is the worst kind of an enemy to fight. Men will runfrom that who wouldn't flinch before cold steel. "

"Oh, we must take the Yanks by surprise, of course. The boats will holdfifty men each, and we must drop down the river so that we will land oneon each side of the vessel. If the night is dark--and we shall not makethe attempt unless it is--we can get within pistol-shot of her before weare discovered, and by the time their men get fairly out of bed she'sours. Hark! what noise was that?"

The rebels listened for a moment, and one of them replied:

"I didn't hear any thing. "

"Well, _I_ did, " returned the colonel, "and it sounded very muchlike some one shouting for help. I'm certain I heard it. "

Archie, who lay in his concealment, trembling like a leaf, was alsoconfident that _he_ had heard something that sounded like a callfor assistance. What if it was Frank in danger, and shouting to thecutter's crew for help? The thought to Archie was a terrible one, and heforgot the dangers of his own situation, and thought only of his cousin. But if Frank was in trouble, why did he not give the signal to thecutter's crew? Archie waited and listened for it, but did not hear itgiven. 

While these thoughts were passing through his mind, the rebels sat onthe portico listening, and at length the colonel said:

"I know I hear something now, but it is the tramping of a horse. Isuppose it is Tibbs, coming with the mail. "

The colonel's surmise proved to be correct, for in a few moments a manrode up, and dismounting so close to Archie that the latter could havetouched him, tied his horse to the very bush which formed hisconcealment; then, throwing a pair of well-filled saddle-bags across hisshoulder, he ran up the steps, saying:

"Good evening, gentlemen. What! colonel, are you wounded?" he added, onseeing the rebel's bandaged arm. 

"Yes; this makes four times I have been shot while in the service. Buthow is the mail?"

"Rather heavy, " answered the man. "If you have any letters to go, youwill have to furnish another bag--these are full. "

"All right, " said the colonel; then raising his voice, he called out, "Bob! Bob! Where is that black rascal?"

"Heyar, sar, " answered a voice, and presently a negro came around thecorner of the house, and removing his tattered hat, stood waiting fororders. 

"Bob, " said the colonel, "tell Stiles that the mail is all ready to goacross the river. "

_Stiles!_ How Frank would have started could he have heard thatname! He would have known then, had he not before been aware of thefact, that he was again among _Colonel Harrison's LouisianaWild-cats_. 

The negro, in obedience to his orders, disappeared, but soon returned, with the intelligence that Stiles was not to be found. 

"Not to be found, " echoed the colonel; "that's twice he has failed me. But this mail must not be delayed. Tell Damon I want to see him. "

The negro again disappeared, and in a few moments came back with asoldier, to whom the colonel said:

"Damon, here's a mail that must go across the river to-night. Can youpull an oar?"

"Yas, " replied the man. 

"Then get some one to go with you, and start at once. The skiff, youknow, is in the creek, just above where that Yankee gun-boat lies. "

"Yas, " answered the man again, as he took the mail-bags which thecolonel handed him. 

"This one, " continued the rebel, pointing to a small canvas bag whichone of his officers had just brought out of the house--"this onecontains my mail--all official documents, to go to Richmond. Be carefulof it. Don't let the Yankees get hold of you. "

"No, " replied the soldier, as he shouldered the mail and disappeared. 

The conversation that followed, of which Archie heard every word, servedto convince him that, although the rebels kept up a bold front, andappeared sanguine of success in their attempts to destroy theGovernment, yet among themselves they acknowledged their cause to beutterly hopeless unless some bold stroke could be made to "disheartenthe Yankees. "

In spite of Archie's dangerous situation, which had tried his nervesseverely, he listened to every word that was uttered, and even becameinterested in what the rebels were saying. Now and then he was called toa sense of his situation by the movements of the horse, which, beingrestive, came very near stepping on him as he pranced about. 

Damon had been gone about half an hour, and the colonel had justcommenced explaining to the man who had brought the mail the manner inwhich the capture of the Boxer was to be effected, when suddenly thereport of a pistol startled every one on the portico. A moment afterwardcame another, which was followed by a yell of agony. 

"What's that?" exclaimed the colonel, springing from his chair in alarm. "Are we attacked? Get out there, every mother's son of you!" hecontinued, as the men, having been aroused by the noise, came pouringout of the rooms in which they were quartered. "Every man able to draw asaber get out there! Run for the river! That's where the reportssounded, and if there are any boats there capture them. That will keepthe Yankees on shore, and we can hunt them up at our leisure!"

The men ran out of the house and started for the river at the top oftheir speed, at the same time yelling with all the strength of theirlungs, while the colonel and his officers ran into their room, andhastily seizing such weapons as came first to their hands, followedafter. To describe Archie's feelings, as he lay there behind that bushand listened to the sounds of pursuit, were impossible. The noise therebels made seemed to bewilder him completely, for he lay on the groundseveral moments, it seemed to him, without the power to move hand orfoot. 

Suddenly the thought struck him that now was the time to accomplish theobject of the expedition. The house was deserted, and the yells, whichgrew fainter and fainter, told him that the rebels were getting furtheraway. Yes, it was now or never. In an instant, Archie's courage andpower of action returned. Springing to his feet, he ran to the end ofthe portico, on which were piled several bales of hay and bundles offodder, which the rebels no doubt intended for their horses. But Archiedetermined that they should be put to a different use, for he quicklydrew from his pocket two large bottles filled with coal oil, which hethrew over the hay. He then applied a match, and in an instant it was ina blaze. He waited a moment to see it fairly started, and then sprangoff the portico. As he passed the door, he heard an ejaculation ofsurprise, followed by the report of a pistol, and the noise of a bulletas it whizzed past his head. It frightened him, and at the same timeacted upon him as the crack of a whip does upon a spirited horse; forwhen the rebel who fired the shot had reached the portico, Archie haddisappeared in the darkness. 

CHAPTER IV. 

A Mark for the Union. 

Let us now return to Frank, whom we left setting out for the house, after having given Archie emphatic instructions to remain behind thetree until his return. He did not feel at all at his ease after he hadleft his cousin, for he might have stationed him in the most dangerousplace that could have been found; and what if Archie should bediscovered and captured? He was well enough acquainted with his cousin'sdisposition to know that he would not surrender without a fight; butwhat could he do when opposed by a regiment of veteran rebels? Frankthought not of his own peril, for that was something he had fullyexpected to encounter before he started. This was not the first time hehad voluntarily placed himself in danger; but with Archie the case wasdifferent; and Frank was several times on the point of returning to hiscousin and making use of his authority, as commander of the expedition, to send him back to the boat. By the time these thoughts had passedthrough his mind, he had reached a log-cabin which stood at a littledistance from the house; and as he halted behind it, to shelter himselffrom the storm, still debating upon the course he ought to pursue inregard to Archie, some one inside the cabin commenced singing--

 "I'll lay ten dollars down And chuck 'em up one by one!"

If there was any more of the song, the rebel evidently did not know it, for he kept singing these two lines over and over, now and then varyingthe monotony of the performance by whistling. Frank stood for somemoments listening to him, and finally began moving cautiously around thecabin, to find some opening through which he could look and see what wasgoing on inside. He presently discovered a hole between the logs, and, upon looking in, saw a man seated on the floor before a fire-place, inwhich burned some pine knots, engaged in whittling out an oar with hisbowie-knife. On the floor near him lay one evidently just finished. Atthe opposite side of the room stood a bag, from the mouth of whichpeeped several letters. 

A thought struck Frank--which would be of the most benefit, to burn thehouse or to capture the mail, which might contain information of thegreatest importance? Undoubtedly the latter would be of the mostconsequence. Then he debated long and earnestly upon the chances ofescaping with the mail, should he attempt its capture. The man who hadcharge of it was a most powerful-looking fellow, who knowing theimportance of his trust, and the certainty of receiving prompt andeffective assistance from his comrades, would, no doubt, fight mostdesperately, unless he could be taken at disadvantage and secured beforehe had time to think of resistance. Besides, the cabin was scarcelyfifty feet distant from the house, which Frank knew was filled with men, for he could hear them walking about the rooms and talking to eachother. The least unusual noise would certainly alarm them, in which caseescape would be entirely out of the question Frank, we say, thought overall these things, and finally coming to the conclusion that it would beworse than useless to attempt the capture of the mail, turned hisattention to the house. How was he to set fire to it?

Frank, we know, was not wanting in courage, but he had learned, byexperience, that there are times when "discretion is the better part ofvalor. " When he proposed the expedition, he had not expected to find theentire regiment quartered in the house. He had supposed that the menwould find sleeping-rooms in the negro quarters, which were nearly ahalf mile back, while the house would be reserved for the officers. Butthe rebels surely would not remain up all night, and when they had allgone to bed would be the time to execute his purpose. He would notabandon his project until he had given it a trial, or fully satisfiedhimself that the undertaking was utterly impracticable. For the present, he would remain where he was; something might "turn up" which would beto his advantage. 

At this moment a man entered the cabin, the door of which stood open, and inquired:

"Going over to-night, Stiles?"

Frank was thunderstruck, and he now saw the necessity of attemptingnothing unless it promised complete success. As the reader has alreadylearned, he was among his old enemies, the Wildcats. Upon making thisdiscovery he was both astonished and alarmed--astonished, for it seemedto him that he could scarcely make a move in any direction without beingconfronted by the redoubtable Wild-cats. This was the second time he hadfound himself among them before he was aware of it. He was alarmed, because he knew, by experience, the treatment he would receive if heshould fall into their hands without the prospect of an immediateexchange. 

But his attention was again drawn to the men in the cabin. 

"Yes, " replied Stiles, in answer to his companion's question, "I'm goingover to-night--allers makin' due 'lowance for bein' ketched by theYanks. "

"Here's some mail, then, " continued the man, thrusting several lettersinto the bag. "How soon do you start?"

"Jest as soon as Tibbs comes with the up-country mail, an' I get thekernel's letters. Was you takin' a chaw of tobaker, Bob?"

"No, I wasn't, " replied the other, quickly thrusting his hand into hispocket, as if to protect the precious article. "Tobacco is scarce. "

"Now, Bob, " said Stiles, "I know you've got some. Me an' you's allersbeen good friends. "

The rebel could not withstand this appeal, although he produced his"plug" very reluctantly, and as he handed it to his companion, said:

"Stiles, you're a dead beat. Go easy on that, now, if you please, because it's all there is in the regiment. "

The rebel cut off a huge piece of the weed, and, thrusting it into hischeek, went on with his work, while Bob returned to his quarters. He hadscarcely quitted the cabin before Frank had all his plans laid. He wouldgo back after Archie, and together they would lie in wait on the bank ofthe river, and, if possible, capture that mail. With this determination, he was moving slowly away from the cabin, when a door, which he had notbefore noticed, suddenly opened, and Stiles came out, and turning thecorner, stood face to face with Frank, and scarcely an arm's length fromhim. With the latter, retreat without discovery was, of course, impossible. There was but one course he could pursue, and that presentedbut a small chance for success. He was, however, allowed no time fordeliberation, for the rebel, quickly recovering from his surprise, turned to run; but with one bound Frank overtook him, and throwing himto the ground, caught him by the throat, stifling a cry for help thatarose to his lips. This it was that had alarmed the colonel and Archie;and had the former investigated the matter, Frank would again have beena prisoner in the hands of the Wild-cats. 

Stiles struggled desperately to free himself from the strong grasp thatheld him, until Frank pulled one of his revolvers from the pocket of hispea-jacket and presented it at his head. 

"Do you surrender?" he asked, releasing his hold of the rebel's throat. 

"Yes, " replied Stiles, faintly. "Don't shoot, Yank!"

"You shall not be harmed if you behave yourself. Have you any weapons?"

"No! They are all in the shanty!"

Frank, after searching the rebel's pockets and satisfying himself of thetruth of this statement, continued:

"Get up! Now, I know you have friends all around you, but if you havethe least desire to live, you'll not make any noise; although you mayalarm the camp, it will not save you. Do you understand?"

"Have I got a pair of ears?" asked the rebel. 

"Well, if you have, you hear what I say, " returned Frank. "Now go thisway, " he added, pointing toward the river. 

The rebel, who had a wholesome fear of the revolver which Frank held inhis hand, ready cocked, obeyed, without the slightest hesitation, andthey reached the bank of the river, where the cutter lay, without beingdiscovered. 

"Now, " said Frank, "I want to ask you a few questions. Where do you keepthe boat in which you were going to carry that mail?"

"In the creek, jest above where that ar' gunboat lies, replied Stiles. "

"How many of you were to go?"

"Two--me an' another feller. "

"Well, now, the colonel won't find you when he wants you. What will hedo?"

"Oh, he'll send some body else. The mail must go, an' it makes no oddswho takes it, so long as he don't get ketched. "

"That's all I want to know, " said Frank. Then, going to the top of thebank, he called out:

"Tom, come up here!"

The coxswain soon made his appearance, and Frank said:

"Now, Stiles, you're a prisoner. "

"Dog gone ef I keer, " he replied, "so long as I get plenty of grub an'tobaker. "

The rebel was marched down the bank, and Frank again bent his stepstoward the house, intending to find his cousin, and, with hisassistance, to capture the mail. When he arrived at the tree where hehad left Archie, the latter was not to be seen. This, however, did notgive him any uneasiness, for Archie, he thought, had doubtless gone backto the cutter. Frank had already made up his mind to go back after him, when he saw a man walk up to the cabin in which he had first discoveredthe man who was now his prisoner, and heard him call out:

"Massa Stiles! de mail all ready, sar!"

Receiving no answer, the negro walked into the cabin, but finding itvacant, went out to make the report to the colonel that Stiles was notto be found. From this Frank knew that he had no time to lose. Stileshad told him that some one else would be sent with the mail, and as itwas all ready, a man would soon be found to take his place. If he wentback after Archie, he might be too late. He must attempt it alone, andunaided. Walking out from behind the tree, he started toward the creek, where lay the boat in which the mail was to be carried. 

The creek he found without difficulty; but the boat was evidently hiddenaway, for he searched up and down the bank for it without success. If hefound it, it was his intention to cut it loose, and allow it to driftout into the river, thus depriving the rebels of the means of carryingtheir mail. But failing in this, he ran up the bank, and awaited thecoming of the rebels. It was a hazardous undertaking to attempt thecapture of two men, both of whom were, no doubt, well armed; but Frankhad great confidence in the _looks_ of his revolvers, and hoped toaccomplish his object without alarming the rebels in the house. 

He had waited perhaps a quarter of an hour, when he heard footstepsapproaching, and presently he discovered the two men for whom he hadbeen watching. One carried the mail-bags, and the other a pair of oars, the same, no doubt, which Stiles had but a short time before completed. Frank waited until they were almost upon him, and then sprang up with arevolver in each hand, which he pointed straight at the heads of themen, exclaiming:

"You're my prisoners. Don't make any resistance. "

The rebels were astonished, and the man who carried the mail-bags threwthem down and held his arms above his head, in token of surrender. Butthe other, after regarding the officer for a moment, as if to make surethat it was a human being with whom he had to deal, dropped his oars, and before his captor was aware of his intention, drew a pistol andfired. Frank felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, and the revolverwhich he held in that hand fell from his grasp. He had received hisfirst wound, but although thoroughly frightened, he did not lose hispresence of mind. If he had, he would soon have been recalled to a senseof his dangerous situation, for the rebel again cocked his revolver; butthis time Frank fired first, and the rebel sank to the ground with aloud yell. In an instant Frank turned upon the other; but he appeared tobe too much under the influence of fear to lend his comrade anyassistance. 

All thought of concealment was now out of the question. The rebels inthe house had, of course, been alarmed, and Frank's only chance forescape with his prisoner and the mail was to reach the cutter as soon aspossible, and pull off to the vessel. Hastily relieving the prisoner ofhis weapons, he directed him to pick up the mail and follow the coursehe pointed out. 

The prisoner did as he was ordered; but they had not gone far when aloud yelling announced that the rebels in the house had been alarmed, and were in pursuit. Frank kept close behind his prisoner, who, throughfear of the revolver, ran at a rapid rate, but they had further to runto reach the cutter than the guerrillas, and the latter gained rapidly. The prisoner, who was not long in discovering this, slackened his paceconsiderably, although he appeared to be doing his utmost. Frank, however, was not deceived. Thrusting his revolver into his pocket, heseized the rebel by the nape of the neck, and helped him over the groundin a manner more rapid than agreeable. Had the man been aware of thefact that his captor had but one arm that he could use, he might nothave submitted so quietly as he did. Frank, whose whole mind was wrappedup in the idea of saving his prisoner and the mail, did not stop tothink of this, but pushed his man ahead to such good advantage that theysucceeded in reaching the cutter before their pursuers. He marched therebel down the bank in the most lively manner, and tumbled him into theboat, where he was instantly seized and secured. 

The sailors, who had heard the noise of the pursuit, and waitedimpatiently for the appearance of their officer, were all in theirplaces, and as Frank sprang in, he shouted:

"Shove off--lively now, lads!"

The cutter was speedily pushed from the shore, and the oars got out andhandled by twelve strong fellows, all good oarsmen. 

"Let fall--give away together, " again commanded Frank, who, in spite ofthe pain of his wound, began to chuckle over his good luck in securingthe mail. "The rebs will give us a volley, " he continued, "unless we getout of sight in the darkness before they reach the bank. So, pick herup, lads, and walk right away with her. "

The sailors, understanding the order, and rejoicing in the escape oftheir young officer, whose safety and well-being they regarded asinfinitely of more importance than their own, gave way manfully on themuffled oars, which made no sound as they bent beneath the sturdystrokes, and the cutter flew noiselessly through the water, The rebelsreached the bank but a few moments after the cutter had left, butneither seeing nor hearing any thing of her, they contented themselveswith uttering their yells, and firing a volley into the darkness in thedirection they supposed the boat had gone. 

But their attention was soon called to another quarter, for a brightflame shot up from the house. The boat's crew saw it, and could scarcelyrefrain hurrahing; but knowing that they were not yet out of range ofthe guerrillas' rifles, they gave vent to their jubilant feelings byredoubling their efforts at the oars. 

"Mr. Nelson, " whispered the coxswain, "may I be allowed to say that waswell done, sir!"

"I didn't do that, Tom, " answered Frank, in a faint voice, as he gazedin surprise at the burning house, and thought of his cousin. "IsPaymaster Winters in the cutter?"

Frank hardly dared to ask the question, for if his cousin had been inthe boat he would have known it before that time. 

"The paymaster!" repeated the coxswain; "no, sir. He went away with you, sir, and I haven't seen him since. He's missing, that's a fact. "

Frank felt ready to faint on hearing this, and very bitterly did hecensure himself for allowing his cousin to accompany him! But regretswere useless; the mischief had been done, and could not be undone. Hehad one hope, however, to which he still clung--that Archie might be onboard the vessel. Perhaps, not daring to attempt to find his way back tothe cutter, through fear of capture, he had swam on board and was nowsafe. He would soon know. 

In a few moments they had reached the Boxer, and as the cutter camealong side, Frank seized the mail-bags and sprang out. After giving theofficer of the deck, who met him at the gangway, instructions in regardto the prisoners, he ran up the stairs that led to the wardroom. Here hemet the captain, who, taking him familiarly by the arm, led him into thecabin, exclaiming:

"Mr. Nelson, I congratulate you, sir; it was well done, sir! The houseis all in a blaze. "

"Captain, " said Frank, "I didn't do that, sir. Is the paymaster onboard?

"Why, no, sir; not unless he came with you. "

"I haven't seen him, captain, since I left him within a short distanceof that house. If he is not on board, sir, he's out there yet, and hehas fired the building. "

"Why, Mr. Nelson, " exclaimed the captain, for the first time noticingFrank's pale face and useless hand, from which the blood was dripping, "you are wounded, sir. Orderly, orderly, send the doctor here at once. "

CHAPTER V. 

A Run for Life. 

Archie was as light of foot as an antelope, and fear lent him wings. Inobedience to his cousin's instructions, he ran up the river, directinghis course through a thick woods, jumping over logs and making his waythrough the bushes with a rapidity that surprised himself. The rebel whohad discovered him followed for a short distance, but finding that hewas losing ground, he stopped and fired his revolver in the direction hesupposed Archie had gone; but the bullets went wide of the mark, and thelatter, who now regarded his escape as a thing beyond a doubt, laughedwhen he thought how cleverly he had accomplished the object of theexpedition. 

Having reached a safe distance from the house, he stopped and listened. He distinctly heard the crackling of flames, and presently a brightlight shone over the trees. The building was fairly in a blaze. He was, however, allowed scarcely a moment to congratulate himself, for theyells of the guerrillas plainly told him that they had discovered thefire, and were commencing pursuit. Archie again set out, intent onreaching clear ground as soon as possible, for he knew that no planwould be left untried to capture him. His situation was still any thingbut a pleasant one, but he was sanguine of reaching the vessel insafety, until a long-drawn-out bay came echoing through the woods, anddrove the blood back upon his heart. The rebels were following him witha blood-hound!

For a moment Archie staggered as though he had been struck a severe blowby some unseen hand, but quickly realizing the fact that his safetydepended upon his own exertions and the use he made of the next fewmoments, he speedily recovered his presence of mind, and hastilysecuring his revolvers, which, up to this time, he had carried in thepockets of his pea-jacket, he pulled off that garment, and throwing iton the ground, started off at the top of his speed. 

Being thus relieved of a great incumbrance, he made headway rapidly, but, fast as he ran, he heard that dreadful sound coming nearer, mingledwith loud yells of triumph from the pursuing rebels He had, withsurprise and indignation, listened to Frank's description of his runfrom Shreveport, when he and his companions had been pursued withblood-hounds, little imagining that he would ever be placed in a similarsituation. 

And how did it happen that he had not aroused the hound while he wasabout the house? Had he moved so silently that the animal had not heardhim, or had he been in the building with the men? This question Archiecould not answer. But one thing was certain, and that was that the houndwas, at that very moment, on his trail, and unless he soon reached theriver his capture was beyond a doubt. He, however, had no fears of beingoverpowered by the hound. He fully realized the fact that he would soonbe overtaken, and had resolved to shoot the animal the moment he madehis appearance. 

The yells of the rebels grew fainter, and Archie knew he was gaining onthem. This gave him encouragement. In fact, since the hound had openedon his trail, after the first momentary feeling of terror had vanished, he had retained his coolness in a remarkable degree, and had countedover his chances for capture and escape with surprising deliberation forone who had never before been placed in so exciting and dangerous asituation. We have seen that he felt fear. Had it been otherwise he musthave possessed nerves of steel, or have been utterly destitute of thepower of reasoning; but that fear did not so completely overpower him asit had but a short time before, when he lay behind the bush, andlistened to the guerrilla's plan for the capture of the Boxer and hercrew. On the contrary, it nerved him to make the greatest exertions toeffect his escape. 

In a few moments, to his great joy, he emerged from the woods andentered an open field, across which he ran with redoubled speed. Directly in front of him was another belt of timber, and beyond that laythe river, which, if he could reach, he would be safe. The baying of thehound had continued to grow louder and louder, and, when Archie hadaccomplished perhaps half the distance across the field, a crashing inthe bushes and an impatient bark announced, in language too plain to bemisunderstood, that the hound had discovered him. 

In an instant he stopped, faced about, and drew one of his revolvers. Stooping down close to the ground, he finally discovered the hound, which approached with loud yelps, that were answered by triumphantcheers from the pursuing rebels. Waiting until the animal was so closeto him that he presented a fair mark, Archie raised his revolver andfired. The hound bounded into the air, and, after a few struggles, laymotionless on the ground. Scarcely waiting to witness the effect of theshot, the young officer sprang to his feet, and again started for theriver. The yells of the rebels--who had heard the shot, and knew, fromthe silence that followed, that the hound was dead--again arose fierceand loud; but Archie, knowing that his pursuers had now lost the powerof following him with certainty, considered the worst part of the dangeras past. 

But he had to deal with those who could not be easily deceived. ColonelHarrison, knowing that the only chance for escape was by the river, hadlined the banks with men, and, as Archie neared the woods, a voicedirectly in front of him called out:

"It's all up now, Yank! Drop that shootin'-iron, or you're a gonesucker!"

Archie's heart fairly came up into his mouth. He had little expected tofind an enemy in that quarter, but, without waiting an instant, heturned and ran up the river again, hoping that he might soon be able toget above the sentinels. The rebel, hearing the sound of his footsteps, and knowing that he was retreating, shouted:

"Halt, Yank! halt! or I'll shoot--blamed if I don't!"

And he _did_ shoot, and Archie heard the bullet as it sung throughthe air behind him. 

The rebel, without stopping to load his gun, started in pursuit; butArchie, who was running for his life, soon left him behind. As thelatter ran he heard shots fired on all sides of him, showing that he wascompletely surrounded. 

Escape seemed utterly impossible; and fearing that he might run into thevery midst of the guerrillas when he least expected it, he threw himselfbehind a log in the edge of the woods, and awaited the issue of eventswith feelings that can not be described. He now had little hope of beingable to elude his pursuers, who, he was certain, would keep the riverclosely guarded until daylight, when they would soon discover hishiding-place. He could not go on without fear of running against some ofhis enemies, in the dark, and to remain where he was, appeared equallydangerous. But of one thing he was certain--and as the thought passedthrough his mind, he clutched his revolvers desperately--and that was, if he was captured, it would require more than one man to do it. 

Presently he heard footsteps approaching, and two rebels came up. One ofthem he knew, by his voice, was the very man who had just fired at him. 

"I know he went this yere way, " said he. 

"Wal, hold on a minit, " said the other, panting loudly; "let's rest aleetle--I'm nigh gin out;" and he seated himself so close to Archiethat, had it been daylight, he would certainly have been discovered. 

"I'll be dog-gone, " said the one who had first spoken, "ef this 'erenight's work don't beat all natur'. Them ar Yanks ain't no fools, dog efthey ar!"

"Who'd a thought it?" returned his companion. "Them ar two fellers comeout here an' burn a house with more'n three hundred men in it? Dog-gone!But how did that other feller get away?"

"Oh, he had a boat, " answered the other, "an he got thar afore we couldketch him. He's on board his gun-boat afore this time. I jest ketched aglimpse of him as he was goin' down the bank. He had Damon by the neck, an' he was makin' him walk turkey, now I tell yer. "

"Damon ketched!" ejaculated his companion. "An' what's come on thekernel's mail?"

"Gone up--the hul on it! Damon's got the bracelets on by this time. Butcome, let's go on. "

All this while the rebels had been coming up, and Archie could hear themin the woods, on all sides of him, yelling and swearing, like demons. Hehad one source of consolation, however--his cousin was safe; and, judging by the rebels' conversation, he had not gone back to the vesselempty-handed. 

Archie lay for some time listening to the movements of the rebels, almost afraid to breathe lest it should be overheard, when he wassuddenly startled by a stunning report, which was followed by a hissingand shrieking in the air; a bright light shone in his eyes for aninstant, and the next, the woods echoed with the bursting of a shell. The guerrillas had scarcely time to recover from their astonishment whenthere came another, and another, each one followed by groans and criesof anguish that made the young officer shudder. 

Frank Nelson had gained the Boxer in safety, and although surprised andalarmed at the absence of Archie--who, he thought, would make the bestof his way back to the vessel when left to himself--he knew by theyelling of the rebels, and the pistol-shots that were occasionallyheard, that they had not yet captured him. The noise of the chaseplainly told the Boxer's crew that the fugitive was making the best ofhis way up the river, and Frank had opened fire on the rebels to create, if possible, a diversion in his cousin's favor. His shells were thrownwith fatal accuracy, and the guerrillas, taken completely by surprise, and having no levee to protect them, beat a hasty retreat. 

Although threatened by a new danger, Archie was so overjoyed that hecould scarcely refrain from shouting, and as soon as he was satisfiedthat his pursuers were out of hearing, he crawled from his concealmentand ran toward the river. The shells still kept dropping into the woodsat regular intervals, making music most pleasant to Archie's ears, forhe knew that as long as the fire was continued, his chances for escapewere increased. But in his eagerness he never thought of the men who hadbeen posted on the bank, and as he dashed through the woods, severalshots were fired at him by the rebels concealed in the bushes. But hereached the water in safety, and struck out for the vessel. A few randomshots were fired at him, which Archie heard as they whistled past him;but his good fortune had not deserted him, and he again escaped unhurt. The reports of the guns on board the Boxer pointed out the direction inwhich he was to go, and in a quarter of an hour he was withinhailing-distance of the vessel. The splashing he made in the water soonattracted the attention of the sentry on the forecastle, who, havingbeen instructed by Frank, had kept a good look-out. A rope was thrown toArchie, who was pulled on board the vessel in a state of completeexhaustion. 

Frank was soon informed of the safe return of his cousin, and Archie, almost too weak to speak plainly, was carried to his room, where, afterbeing divested of his wet clothes, he was put to bed, and left in asound sleep. The next morning, however, he appeared in the mess-room, aslively as ever, and none the worse for his long run; while Frank, whobegan to suffer from his wound, was confined to his bed. 

The latter listened to his cousin's narration of the part he had bornein the expedition, and in admiration of Archie's bravery, forgot thelecture he had intended to administer. The officers, who had notexpected such an exhibition of courage in one whose cheek had blanchedat the whistle of a rebel bullet, were astonished, and it is needless tosay that no more jokes were indulged in at the expense of the "greenpaymaster. "

For two months Frank held his position as executive officer of theBoxer, during which time the vessel was twice inspected by the admiral. He now had little to do beyond the regular routine of ship duties, forthe guerrilla-station had been broken up by the burning of theplantation-house, and vessels were seldom fired into on the Boxer'sbeat. But this was not to continue long, for, one day, the dispatch-boatbrought orders for him to report on board the Michigan--which lay at themouth of Red River--as executive officer of that vessel. 

This was still another advancement, for the Michigan was an iron-clad, mounted fourteen guns, and had a crew of one hundred and seventy men. But Frank would have preferred to remain in his present position. Afterconsiderable hard work, he had brought the Boxer's crew into anadmirable state of discipline; every thing about decks went off assmoothly as could be desired, and besides, Archie was on board, and hedid not wish to leave him. But he never hesitated to obey his orders, and as soon as he had packed his trunk, and taken leave of hismessmates, he went on board the dispatch-boat, and in a few days arrivedat his new vessel. 

The captain of the Michigan had written to the admiral, requesting thata "first-class, experienced officer" might be sent him for an executive, but when Frank presented himself and produced his orders, that gentlemanwas astonished. After regarding the young officer sharply for a moment, he said:

"The admiral, no doubt, knows his own business, but let me tell you, young man, that you have no easy task before you. "

He no doubt thought that a person of Frank's years was utterly incapableof filling so responsible a position. The latter, with his usualmodesty, replied that he would endeavor to do his duty, and after he hadseen his baggage taken care of, he went into the wardroom, where hefound a young officer seated at the table reading. He arose as Frankentered, and thrusting out his hand, greeted him with--

"I'm glad to meet you again, Mr. Nelson, and among friends, too. "

It was George Le Dell, the escaped prisoner, whom he had met during hismemorable flight from Shreveport. Frank had not seen him, nor even heardof him, since he had left him on board the Ticonderoga; but here he was, "among the defenders of the Old Flag" again, in fulfillment of thepromise he had made his rebel father, in the letter which Frank had readto his fellow fugitives in the woods, where they had halted for the day. He was not changed--his face still wore that sorrowful expression--andFrank found that he rarely took part in the conversation around themess-table. He was an excellent officer, the especial favorite of thecaptain, and beloved by all his messmates, who, very far from suspectingthe cause of his quiet demeanor, called him "Silence. "

Frank heartily returned his cordial greeting, and the two friends talkedfor a long time of scenes through which they had passedtogether--subjects still fresh in their memories--until the entrance ofan officer put a stop to the conversation. Frank understood, by this, that he was the only one of the ship's company who knew any thing ofGeorge's past history. 

The change from the cool, comfortable quarters of the Boxer to the hotwardroom of the ironclad was not an agreeable one; but Frank was not theone to complain, and he entered upon his duties with his accustomedcheerfulness and alacrity. He was allowed very little rest. The captainof the Michigan--which was the flag-ship of the third division of thesquadron--was a regular officer, who believed in always keeping the menbusy at something, and Frank was obliged to be on his feet from morninguntil night. The decks were scrubbed every day, the bright work aboutthe guns and engines cleaned, the small boats washed out, and then camequarters, and drilling with muskets or broad-swords. After this, ifthere was nothing else to be done, the outside of the vessel wasscrubbed, or the chimneys repainted. In short, the Michigan was thepattern of neatness, and her crew, being constantly drilled, knewexactly what was required of them, and were ready for any emergency. 

For several months little occurred to relieve the monotony of ship-lifebeyond making regular trips from one end of their beat to the other; butwhen spring opened, gun-boats and transports, loaded with soldiers, began to assemble, and preparations were made for the Red Riverexpedition. At length every thing was ready, and one pleasant morningthe gun-boats weighed their anchors and led the way up the river. 

Frank stood on deck as the vessels steamed along, and could not helpdrawing a contrast between his present position and the one in which hewas placed when he first saw Red River. Then, he and his companions werefugitives from a rebel prison; they had been tracked by bloodhounds, andfollowed by men at whose hands, if retaken, they could expect nothingbut death. He remembered how his heart bounded with joy on the morningwhen he and his associates, in their leaky dug-out, had arrived in sightof the Mississippi. Then, he was ragged, hatless, and almost shoeless, weary with watching, and living in constant fear of recapture. Now, hewas among friends, the Old Flag waved above him, and he was the secondin command of one of the finest vessels in the squadron. 

The passage up the river was without incident worthy of note, and in ashort time they arrived at the obstructions which the rebels had placedin the river nine miles below Fort De Russy. A vast amount of time andlabor had been expended upon these obstructions, but they were speedilycleared away, and the fleet passed on. They had expected a stubbornresistance at the fort, but it had been captured by the army after ashort engagement, and the gun-boats kept on to Alexandria. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Frank turns Detective. 

A day or two after the arrival of the fleet at Alexandria, it becameknown that several persons belonging to the rebel secret service werehovering about in the vicinity of the village, with the intention ofdestroying some of the vessels by torpedoes--contrivances made toresemble pieces of coal--which were to be placed in those barges out ofwhich the boats were supplied with fuel. By some means the names ofthese persons became known to the admiral, who issued a general order, calling on all the officers of the squadron to kill or capture themwherever found. 

The same day the order was issued Frank obtained shore liberty, andwhile roaming about the town, espied a name on a sign that immediatelyattracted his attention. It was one of the names borne in the generalorder. 

"There's one of the rascals, now, " soliloquized Frank, "or, rather, where he has been. I wonder where he is. I'll see if I can't find outsomething about him. If he could be caught, he would be put in a placewhere he wouldn't lay any more plans to blow up Union gun-boats. "

The sign which had attracted his attention bore the name and occupationof the individual in question--"S. W. ABBOTT, Chemist. "

The store had been closed on the approach of the Union forces, and wasnow in the possession of several army surgeons and their assistants, whowere overhauling its contents, and appropriating whatever they thoughtmight be of service to them. A negro was leaning against the counter, and of him Frank inquired--

"Boy, do you belong here?"

"No, sar, " he answered, indignantly; "I 'longs nowhar. I'se a free man, I is. I'se a soger. "

"Never been in this town before?"

"No, sar. "

Frank left the store, and walked slowly up the street toward the hotel, wondering where he could go to make inquiries concerning the man whom hewished to find. It was evident that this was the hardest task he had yetundertaken. He knew the rebel's name, and that was all. He had no ideahow he looked, and, although the admiral's order stated that he wasloitering about the village, he might, at that moment, be fifty milesaway, or Frank might have already passed him on the street. 

There were several men dressed in butternut clothes hanging about thehotel, and Frank determined to enter into conversation with one of them, and, if possible, learn something about Abbott. An opportunity was soonoffered, for one of the butternuts approached him, and inquired--

"Got any Northern money--greenbacks?"

"Some, " replied Frank. 

"Wal, " continued the man, "I'll give you five dollars in Confederatemoney fur one dollar in greenbacks. Is it a bargain?"

"Confederate money!" repeated Frank. "Of what use would it be to me? AndI am greatly mistaken if it will be of use to you much longer. "

"Wal, I want your money fur a keepsake, " replied the man. I know you-unsdon't like our money, but we-uns hev got to use it or go without any, "

"Well, I'll trade, " said Frank. "Your paper will no doubt be a curiosityto the folks at home. " As he spoke, he produced the dollar, and thebutternut drew out of his capacious pocket a huge roll of bills--tens, twenties, and fifties, enough to have made him independent if it hadbeen good money--and selecting a five-dollar bill, handed it to Frank, who thrust it carelessly into his pocket. 

"I'll allow that you-uns don't seem to be a bad lot of fellers, " saidthe butternut; "but I don't see what you-uns want to come down hyar tofight we-uns for. We-uns never done nothing to you-uns. "

"Every rebel I meet says the same thing, " said Frank. "But who were therichest men in this place before the war broke out?"

The man mentioned several names, among which was that of Abbott, thechemist. 

"Abbott, Abbott, " repeated Frank, as if trying to recall the man tomind; "I've heard that name before. Is he a Northern man?"

"No; he's allers lived at the South. His house is right back of thehotel, third door from the corner, on the right-hand side as you go upthe street. "

Frank had learned something, but he did not think it safe to questionthe man further, for fear of exciting his suspicions; so, after a fewunimportant remarks, he turned on his heel and walked into the hotel, which was used as the army head-quarters. Here he remained for nearlyhalf an hour, to give the man of whom he had received his informationtime to leave the place, and then directed his steps toward Mr. Abbott'sdwelling. He had no difficulty in finding it, for he followed thebutternut's directions, and the rebel's name was borne on thedoor-plate. The house, however, was deserted; the blinds were closed, aswere those of all the neighboring houses. Mr. Abbott, with his family, if he had any, had doubtless removed out of reach of the Union forces. Did he ever visit his home when in town? or did he make hishead-quarters somewhere else? were questions that suggested themselvesto Frank, but which, of course, he could not answer; neither did he dareto question any of the citizens, for they might be Mr. Abbott's friends, who would not fail to inform him that particular inquiries were beingmade, which would lead him to act more cautiously. Frank did not knowwhat plan to adopt, but walked listlessly about the streets until heheard the Michigan's bell strike half-past three o'clock. He must be onboard by four, as the admiral was to be there to inspect the vessel. Hewas reluctant to leave without having accomplished any thing more thanthe discovery of the rebel's dwelling; but there was no help for it, andhe walked slowly toward the landing, where he found a boat waiting forhim. 

That night, although he retired early, he slept but little, but tossedrestlessly about in his bunk, endeavoring to conjure up some plan bywhich he might capture the rebel; and when he fell asleep, he dreamedabout the subject uppermost in his mind. He thought that, after severaldays' patient watching, he finally discovered his man; but all attemptsto capture him were unavailing. When he pursued, the rebel woulddisappear in a magical way, that was perfectly bewildering. Finally, hedreamed that the rebel assumed the offensive, and one day he met him inthe street, carrying in his hand something that looked like a lump ofcoal, which he threw at Frank. It proved, however, to be a torpedo, forit exploded with a loud report, and as Frank sprang over a fence thatran close by the sidewalk, to escape, he came violently in contact withthe walls of a house. At this stage of his dream he was suddenlyawakened. To his no small amazement, he found himself stretched on thefloor of his room, his head jammed against the door, through which oneof the wardroom boys, a very small specimen of a contraband, wasendeavoring to escape, while the look of terror depicted on his face, and the energy with which he strove to open the door, showed that he hadsustained something of a fright. On the opposite side of the room stoodthe doctor, who gazed at Frank for a moment with open mouth and eyes, and then threw himself on the bed, convulsed with laughter. 

Frank rose slowly to his feet, and commenced drawing on his clothes, while the little negro disappeared through the door like a flash. 

"Mr. Nelson, " said the doctor, as soon as he could speak, "you can'tmake that jump again, sir. I came in to awaken you, " he continued, "andwas just going to put my hand on you, when you sprang out of your bunkupon your trunk, and then back again; and just as the darkey was comingin, you made another jump, and landed against the door, frightening himso that I actually believe he turned pale. Were you dreaming?"

"Yes, " answered Frank, with a laugh; "I was getting out of the way of atorpedo. "

"Well, you certainly jumped far enough to get out of the way of almostany thing, " replied the doctor, after he had indulged in another heartyfit of laughter. "Hurry up; breakfast is nearly ready. "

Frank felt the effects of his agility in the shape of a severe pain overhis left eye, which had been occasioned by his head coming in contactwith the door-knob, and his "big jump" was the source of a good deal ofmerriment at the breakfast-table. 

Frank went ashore in the ten-o'clock boat, and, after strolling aboutwith his companions for a short time, invented a satisfactory excuse forhis absence, and started toward Mr. Abbott's house, which, to his joy, he found open, with a negro engaged in sweeping the steps. 

"Boy, who lives here?" he inquired. 

The negro gave the desired information, adding: "He ain't hyar though, but missus will be home dis arternoon. "

"Where's your master?"

"Oh, he done gone off somewhar. I 'spects he don't like for to see youYankee sogers hyar. "

As the negro ceased speaking, having finished his work, he turned andwent into the house, while Frank was about to move away, wondering whatwas the next thing to be done, when a boy approached and opened thegate. 

"What do you want?" asked Frank. 

The boy held up a letter which he carried in his hand, and Frank, seeingthat it was addressed to Mrs. Abbott, at once concluded that itcontained information which might be of the greatest value to him. 

"It is all right, " said he; "I'll attend to it;" at the same time takingthe note and handing some money to the boy, who departed well satisfied. Frank then walked down the street, and, as soon as he was out of sightof the house, opened the letter and read as follows:

HEYWARD'S PLANTATION, _March_ 20, 1864. 

"Will be at home at eight o'clock this evening. Have my baggage ready tostart for Shreveport early in the morning. "

No name was signed to the note, but Frank was certain that he now hadthe matter in his own hands, and that any preparations Mrs. Abbott mightmake for her husband's journey to Shreveport would only be thrown away. He at once directed his steps toward the landing, hailed his vessel fora boat, and when he had arrived on board and reported to the captain, showed that gentleman the note, at the same time requesting permissionto remain on shore after dark, in order to capture the rebel. 

"I should be only too happy to allow you to do so, Mr. Nelson, " said thecaptain, "for you seem to be particularly fortunate in every thing ofthis description you undertake. But, as it is the admiral's order thatall officers repair on board their vessels at sundown, he must beconsulted in regard to the matter. Orderly, tell the officer of the deckto have the gig called away. We will go up to the flag-ship, " hecontinued, "and talk to the admiral. "

The gig was soon manned, and after Frank had buckled on his sword (forall officers visiting the flag-ship were required to wear theirside-arms), he stepped into the boat with the captain, and in a shorttime they were in the presence of the admiral. The captain, in a fewwords, explained the nature of the visit, showed him the note Frank hadintercepted, and ended by repeating the young officer's request that hemight be allowed to remain on shore after dark. 

"Certainly, " replied the admiral, "certainly. If you succeed, young man, we shall have one less of these secret-service fellows to fear. " Then, turning to one of his clerks, he gave him an order which Frank did nothear, after which he asked:

"How did you discover the whereabouts of this man Abbott, Mr. Nelson?"

Frank then proceeded to give the admiral an account of all he had done, how he had seen the rebel's name on the sign, learned his residence, andsecured the note. To all of which the latter listened with attention. 

"I hope you will succeed in capturing him, " said he. "If you do, bringhim here; I want a look at him. Here, " he continued, as his clerk handedhim a letter, "is a request that the provost-marshal will furnish youwith a pass. Good luck to you, young man. "

Their business being finished, Frank followed the captain out of thecabin, and returned on board the Michigan. 

All that afternoon Frank was in a fever of excitement. He was impatientfor the night to come, that he might know whether or not his attempt wasto be crowned with success. A hundred things might happen to prevent it. The rebel might not come home, or the note might have been written withthe intention of having it intercepted, in order to throw the one intowhose hands it might fall on the wrong scent; or it might be written incipher, and mean directly opposite to what Frank had supposed. But heconsoled himself with the thought that he had done, and would stillcontinue to do, all in his power to obey the admiral's general order, and if he failed, the blame would not rest with him. 

When the sundown boat was called away, Frank, after exchanging hisuniform for a citizen's dress, and his cap for a tattered slouch-hat, thrust a revolver into his pocket, stepped into the cutter, and was soonset on shore. He walked directly to the office of the provost-marshal, which was in the hotel, and finding that officer at his desk, handed himthe admiral's note, which ran as follows:

 "U. S. FLAG-SHIP BLACKHAWK, "OFF ALEXANDRIA, LA. , March 20, 1864. 

"SIR:--Please furnish the bearer, Acting Ensign Frank Nelson, with apass. He has important business to perform, which may detain him onshore most of the night, and it is absolutely necessary, for thesuccessful accomplishment of his mission, that he should not beinterfered with. Very respectfully, your obd't serv't. , DAVID D. PORTER, _Rear Admiral_, Com'd'g Miss. Squadron. U. S. Provost Marshal, Alexandria, La. 

"Your business must be important indeed, judging by the language of thisnote, " said the marshal. "You shall not be troubled. "

While he was speaking he had been writing an order commanding "allguards and patrols to allow the bearer the freedom of the city, as hewas under special orders from the admiral, and must not be detained. "

"There, " said he, after he had finished the pass and handed it to Frank. "That will take you through all right. You have my best wishes for yoursuccess. "

Frank thanked him, and putting the pass carefully away in his pocket, walked out of the hotel fully satisfied on one point, and that was, ifhis success depended upon the good wishes of his friends, failure wasimpossible. He walked slowly down the street toward the place where thesoldiers were encamped; for as it lacked fully an hour and a half of theappointed time, he did not wish to be seen loitering about the house, asit might excite the suspicions of its inmates, who would not fail tosend word to Mr. Abbott that the house was being watched. Time movedaltogether too slowly for the impatient young officer, but at length heheard the flag-ship's bell strike half-past seven, and as it had begunto grow dark, he walked toward the house, and took his station in theshadow of some trees on the opposite side of the street. At the end ofan hour his patience was rewarded, for he heard the sound of approachingfootsteps, and a man passed by the house. Frank knew, from thesuspicious manner in which he gazed about, that if it was not the manfor whom he was waiting, it was some other guilty fellow who ought to besecured. Presently he returned, and after again looking cautiously abouthim, ascended the steps and knocked lightly at the door, which wasalmost instantly opened, and a voice exclaimed:

"Massa Abbott, I'se glad to"--

The rest of the sentence Frank did not hear, for the moment the manentered the hall, the door was closed again. Now was the time for Frank, who hastily crossed the street, and noiselessly ascended the steps. Herehe paused for a moment to draw his revolver, and then suddenly openedthe door and sprang into the hall. He was met by the negro, the same, nodoubt, whom he had heard welcoming his master, who, not liking the looksof the huge six-shooter which the officer flourished before his eyes, beat a hasty retreat. Frank kept on and entered the parlor, where hefound his man standing in the middle of the floor, pale and breathless. No one else was in the room. 

"Mr. Abbott, " said Frank, "you're my prisoner!"

The man, who was so terrified that he seemed to have lost even the powerof speech, surrendered his weapons and submitted to his captor, who ledhim out of the house and toward the flag-ship, which they reached insafety. The admiral received Frank with great cordiality, and afterlistening to his account of the manner in which the capture of theprisoner had been effected, he ordered the cutter called away, and theyoung officer, rejoicing over his success, was sent on board his vessel. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Frank's First Command. 

The next morning, just after quarters, while the officers were gettingready to go on shore, a boat from the flag-ship came alongside, and theofficer in charge of it was shown into the cabin, as he said he hadbusiness with the captain. Frank, who thought he had accomplishedsufficient to satisfy him to remain on board, sat in the wardroomreading, when the orderly entered and informed him that the captaindesired his presence in the cabin. 

"Mr. Nelson, " said he, "here's an order from the admiral, directing meto furnish you with a cutter and an armed crew, and to send you to theflag-ship for orders. I am also instructed to appoint an executive tofill your place during your absence. I expect you will be sent off onsome expedition; so you had better prepare for a long trip. "

The officer who brought the order having returned to his vessel, thecaptain accompanied Frank on deck, and ordered the second cutter to becalled away and furnished with a crew well armed. In a short time theboat was ready, and Frank, buckling on his side-arms, took leave of thecaptain and started toward the flag-ship, wondering what duty he was nowcalled upon to perform, and fully determined that whatever orders hemight receive, however dangerous or difficult, should be executed, ifwithin the bounds of possibility. 

When he arrived on board the Blackhawk, an officer, who appeared to bewaiting for him, conducted him into the cabin, where the admiral satwriting at his desk. 

"Good morning, Mr. Nelson, " said he; "take a chair, sir. "

Frank took the seat pointed out to him, and the admiral, taking from hisdesk a bundle of papers, carefully tied up, continued:

"It has always been my habit, Mr. Nelson, not to let a brave or skillfulaction pass unrewarded, any more than I would allow a bad one to passunpunished. I am now about to give you a much more important, andperhaps dangerous, commission than has yet been intrusted to you. Thispackage contains official documents of the greatest importance, and Iwant you to go down the river, and deliver it to the commanding navalofficer, whom you will find at Acklen's plantation, opposite the mouthof Red River. I know there are rebels all along the banks, but whateveryou do, don't allow these letters to fall into their hands. There areiron weights in the package, and if you should be in danger of capture, throw it overboard. You will take passage on the army transport that nowlies at the stern of this vessel, all ready to start. I send the cutterand armed crew with you, for the reason that the rebels may sink thetransport, in which case you can escape in your boat; for those lettersmust go through, if possible; perhaps the success of this expeditiondepends upon them. The transport, you will find, is in command of asecond-lieutenant. I should feel much safer if I could put one of my ownofficers in charge, but, as the boat belongs to the army, I have noauthority in the matter. After you have executed your orders, return, byfirst opportunity, to your vessel, and report to me by letter. Now, sir, you may go, for they are waiting for you. Remember, I say the success orfailure of this entire expedition may depend upon you; and don't forgetthat you are the young man that saved the Milwaukee. "

Frank bowed himself out of the cabin, sprang into the cutter, andstarted toward the transport that lay alongside of the bank, a shortdistance below the flag-ship. As he stepped on board, he was met by aflashy-looking young lieutenant, dressed in a brand-new uniform, whogreeted him with the inquiry:

"Are you ready at last? I have been waiting an hour for you. Business isbusiness, you know, and when I command a ship, I don't like to bedetained. "

The lieutenant said this, probably, to impress upon Frank's mind theimportant fact that he was the captain of the steamer, and must berespected and obeyed accordingly. Frank, who knew that he was notsubject to the orders of the lieutenant only so far as the safety of thevessel was concerned, replied that he had come as soon as he could afterhe had received his orders, and turning to his men, directed part ofthem to make the cutter fast to the stern of the steamer, and the othersto carry their arms to the boiler-deck, where they could be readilyseized in case of emergency. The transport was a small side-wheel boatbelonging to the quarter-master's department. The deck-hands were allsoldiers--perhaps half a dozen of them in all--the only steamboatmen onboard being one pilot, four engineers, and as many firemen. The steamerwas armed with two howitzers, mounted on the boiler-deck, and themuskets of the soldiers were stacked in the cabin. The boilers wereprotected by bales of cotton, which were piled on the guards, and thepilot-house was defended in the same manner. A few bales were alsoplaced on the boiler-deck to serve as a breastwork. The whole was underthe command of the lieutenant, who, judging by the orders he issued, knew nothing whatever of the management of a boat. 

Frank had been on board but a few moments, when the engineer's bellrang, to inform the pilot that all was ready for the start. The boat wasmade fast by a single line, which ran from the forecastle to a tree onthe bank, and the gang-plank was out. The lieutenant's first order was, "Haul in that plank. " The soldiers obeyed, and then came the command for"somebody to run out there and untie that line. "

One of the soldiers sprang ashore and began trying to cast off the line, which was drawn as taut as a four-mile current could make it. He workedfor several moments, but, of course without success (for the line shouldfirst have been slackened up on board), and then called out:

"Loosen up that other end, there!"

"No, no!" replied the lieutenant, "that would allow the boat to swingaway from the bank, and then how would you get on board? It must beuntied from that tree first. "

What difference it could possibly make in regard to the boat's swingingaway from the bank, whether the line was first slackened up on shore oron board, Frank could not determine. 

He was astonished at the lieutenant's ignorance, and amused at his novelmode of casting off a line, while the sailors, who had gathered in agroup on the forecastle, watched the operation with a smile, wonderinghow the affair would end, as they knew that the line could not be"untied" from the tree unless first slackened up on board. But thelieutenant seemed to have his own idea of the manner in which it oughtto be accomplished, and was constantly ordering the man to "Hurry up, there!" The soldiers worked and pulled, but all to no purpose, and thelieutenant, becoming impatient, ordered two more of the men to hisassistance. But the knot, which had been awkwardly made, was jammed, andresisted their utmost efforts. 

"I never did see such a clumsy set of fellows, " said the lieutenant, atlength, turning to Frank, who stood beside him, making use of hishandkerchief to conceal his laughter. "We ought to have been two milesdown the river by this time. "

It was evident that he was fast becoming disgusted with his firstattempt at "steamboating, " but was too proud to ask advice. At length heturned and walked into the cabin, muttering, "I guess they will get ituntied before night. " But Frank was unwilling to wait so long. The delaywas entirely unnecessary, and he had begun to get impatient. 

"Men, " said he, addressing himself to the cutter's crew, who wereconvulsed with laughter, "some of you run out that gang-plank, andanother slack up that line. "

These orders were promptly obeyed, and the difficulty was easilyovercome. 

"All gone, sir, " shouted Frank to the pilot, meaning that the line wascast off, and in a few moments the transport swung off from the bank, and was plowing her way down the river. Frank leaned over the railing, and wondered how a man so utterly ignorant of the management of asteamer, as was the lieutenant, came to be put in command, and at atime, too, when they might be placed in situations that would call intorequisition all the skill and judgment of experienced men. He did not atall like the appearance of the young commander, for he was of the typeof officers known as "upstarts, " who like to show their authority, butare without the ability to successfully fill even the post of corporal. What if the transport should be fired upon and disabled? It was evidentthat in such an emergency nothing could be expected of a man who couldnot cast off a line. Frank's commission was too important to beintrusted to the care of such a man, and the young officer felt that hewould much rather step into the cutter, and trust to the skill andcourage of his twelve sailors, than to remain on board the transport. Calling the coxswain on deck, he directed that if they were attacked, the cutter should be kept ready for instant use, and in case the vesselwas disabled, they would attempt to finish their journey in her. Aftergiving these orders, Frank went up into the pilot-house, where he foundthe man at the wheel in no enviable state of mind. 

"I'm glad to see you, " said he, as Frank entered, "for I want to talk toyou. I'm not at all pleased with the looks of our skipper, " he went onto say, "and how he came to be placed in command is a mystery to me. Perhaps the quarter-master thinks, like a good many men who see theMississippi River for the first time, that any body can take charge of asteamboat; but suppose we should run aground--what does that lieutenantknow about sparring off? or what if something about the engine shouldlet down? why, we might go forty miles down the river before he couldget us tied up to the bank. Besides, if we are fired upon, he'llsurrender. Now, mark my words, he'll surrender before he will fight, andI'm opposed to that, for I was a prisoner once. "

"So was I, " said Frank, "and I don't mean to fall into the rebels' handsagain, if I can help it. I'll never be surrendered. That lieutenant maynot fight, but I think his men will, and I have twelve good fellows, allwell armed, on whom I know I can depend. "

"Then I feel better, " said the pilot. "That's talk I like to hear; forif we are not disabled, we'll go through all right. There goes the bell!Go down and get your dinner. "

Frank deposited his weapons on a bench in the pilot-house and ran downinto the cabin, where he found the lieutenant and two engineers seatedat the table. The former seemed to have forgotten his failure of themorning, for he talked a good deal in a condescending manner, as ifaddressing his inferiors; and to Frank's inquiry if he expected troublefrom the rebels, replied that he had not given the matter a moment'sthought; that if they did attack the vessel, it would not be the firsttime he had smelt powder, and if the engineers and pilot could bedepended upon, he had no fears but that he should be able to take theboat safely through. Frank replied that he trusted the officers wouldnot be found wanting in courage; and when he had finished his meal, hewent on deck again, and surprised the pilot, by offering to relieve himwhile he went down to his dinner. In his spare moments Frank, who wiselyregarded it as the duty of every officer to acquaint himself with everypart of the management of a vessel, had learned to handle the wheel, andhe was an excellent steersman. He could make a landing or get a boatunder way, as well as the most experienced pilot; and in the presentinstance he was fully capable of steering the boat, for as the water inthe river was high, there was no danger of getting out of the channel. 

The pilot gave him his place, and after watching the movements of theyoung officer, who handled the wheel with all the confidence of an oldriver man, he went below to his dinner, satisfied that he had left theboat in safe hands. Frank remained at the wheel most of the afternoon, for the pilot, who would be on watch all night, had gone to bed toobtain a few hours' rest. About four o'clock, however, he made hisappearance, and Frank went down into the cabin, and was engaged inreading a, newspaper, when he heard the pilot shout through the trumpetto the engineers:

"Here they are! Now, push her ahead strong. There's a battery justbelow. "

At the same moment there was a rush of feet on deck, and the lieutenantentered the cabin pale and breathless. 

"We're captured, " said he, in a faint voice. "We're surrounded. The bankis black with rebels--ten thousand of them at least! It's no use tothink of fighting. "

As he ceased speaking, he ran on deck again, followed by Frank, whofound his men drawn up behind the cotton-bales, with their weapons intheir hands, waiting for orders. The soldiers had cast loose thehowitzers, and stood at their posts. The lieutenant stopped a moment, just long enough to say, "Boys, we're all captured!" and then ran intothe pilot-house. As Frank stood talking to his men, and encouraging themwith the famous words that never fail to nerve an Americanseaman--"Don't give up the ship!"--a rebel rode out on the bank, in fullview of the steamer, and shouted:

"Come ashore here, or we'll sink you. "

Frank looked toward the pilot-house, where the lieutenant had takenrefuge, and waited to hear his answer. To his surprise and horror, hesaw a hand extended waving a white handkerchief, and the coxswainexclaimed:

"Mr. Nelson, he's surrendering us, sir!"

With one bound Frank sprang up the steps that led to the pilot-house, caught the handkerchief and threw it overboard; and at the same momentthe lieutenant was seized from behind and thrown to the deck. Heinstantly recovered his feet, and turning fiercely upon Frank and thepilot, exclaimed:

"What are you about? Do you know that you have rendered yourselvesliable to a court-martial? I'm commander of this vessel, and I'll shootthe first man that resists my authority!"

"You shall never surrender us, " said Frank, firmly, not the leastintimidated by the other's threat. "If you will give orders for your mento prepare for action, no one will oppose you. We'll stick to you aslong as a plank of this vessel remains above water. "

"I know my own business, " replied the lieutenant. "Resistance isuseless. We never could get by that battery, and I'm going to surrenderto save our lives. Turn her toward the shore, pilot!"

As he spoke, he walked out on deck, and calling out to the rebel, whohad continued to follow the vessel:

"I'll surrender! Pilot, I tell you to turn her in toward the shore. "

The pilot gave a glance at Frank, and reading in his face a firmdetermination to go through if possible, held the boat's head down thestream, while a murmur of indignation arose from the men on the lowerdeck, and the coxswain said, turning to his companions:

"Sink my tarry wig, if that ar' chap ain't going to give us up withoutour having the least bit of a fight. "

Frank stood for a moment irresolute. Ought he to oppose the lieutenant, the lawful commander of the vessel? Was it his duty to stand by andallow himself and his men to be surrendered without even a show ofresistance? And his dispatches, the importance of which the admiral hadstated in such emphatic language, should he throw them overboard, instead of delivering them, as he had hoped to do, to the officer towhom they were addressed? No! Sooner than do that, he would put thecowardly lieutenant under arrest, and give the command to the pilot, aman whom he knew understood his business, and would not think ofsurrender until it had been clearly proved that successful resistancewas entirely out of the question. 

While these thoughts were passing through Frank's mind, the boat, underan increased head of steam, had been rapidly nearing the battery, whichcould be distinctly seen about half a mile below, planted on the bank ofthe river. 

"Come ashore, if you surrender, " shouted the rebel. 

"Pilot, " said the lieutenant, in a weak voice, "I order you"--

He never finished that order, for Frank seized him, and pulling him intothe pilot-house, closed the door. He made an attempt to draw a revolver, but the pilot threw him to the deck, when Frank wrested the weapon fromhim and retained it in his possession. 

"All ready forward there?" he shouted to the men on the boiler-deck. 

"Ay, ay, sir, " answered the coxswain. "Mr. Nelson's in command, " headded, turning to his companions. "Douse my to'-gallant top-lights butwe'll have a skirmish now sure. "

"Do you surrender?" shouted the man on the bank. 

The reply he received was a shot from the pilot's revolver, which madehim beat a hasty retreat. He had scarcely disappeared when a cloud ofmen arose from behind the levee, and a volley of bullets rattled intothe boat. It was answered by a shout of defiance from the men behind thecotton-bales; but the pilot, who stood just in front of Frank, staggeredfor a moment, and sank heavily to the deck. Frank was horrified. Withthat man at the wheel, he had entertained no fears of their ability torun by the battery; but now that he was left alone, with the duties ofboth commander and pilot devolving upon him, his hopes fell again. Buthe could not remain long inactive, for the boat, being without a guide, began to swing toward the shore. Hastily seizing the wheel, he turnedher head down the river again, when the battery opened upon them, and astorm of shells plunged into the water and whistled through the airabout the boat. Only one struck her, and that passed through one of thesmoke-stacks, and bursting, demolished part of the roof of thepilothouse. Then, as fast as the guns could be loaded, the batteryplayed upon the transport, and Frank heard the shells crashing throughthe cabin and exploding in the air above him. But he stood bravely athis post, his only fears being of his inability to turn the point onwhich the battery was planted, or that one of the shells might penetratethe cotton-bales and strike the boilers or some part of the machinery. But as he neared the battery, he discovered that the boat was struckless frequently; that the rebels, in their excitement, were firingwildly. His own men, cool and collected, encouraged by the example oftheir officer, had not yet fired a shot; but when the boat arrivedopposite the battery, they opened upon it with the howitzers and smallarms with terrible effect. The point, which extended into the bend wherethe battery stood, was long and sharp, a bad place for one unaccustomedto handling a boat; but Frank passed it in safety, under a full head ofsteam, and cheers of triumph arose from his men, which the rebelsanswered with yells of rage, and continued to follow the transport, sending bullets and shells after her as fast as they could reload. Butthey were speedily left behind, and their yells died away in thedistance. 

Frank's dispatches were safe. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

An unlucky fight. 

As soon as Frank was certain that the rebels had given up the pursuit, he called two of his men on deck, and directed them to carry the pilot, who now began to show signs of returning consciousness, into the cabin. 

During the fight the lieutenant had remained behind one of thecotton-bales, where the pilot had thrown him, so completely overcomewith fear that he did not think of renewing his attempts to enforce hisauthority. But now that the danger was over, he arose to his feet andwalked out of the pilot-house. As the sailors came up, in obedience toFrank's order, they passed the lieutenant without giving the customarysalute, and acted as though they considered him beneath their notice. They lifted the pilot tenderly in their arms, carried him down stairs, and laid him on his bed. 

There was no surgeon on board, and Frank was anxious to reach a gun-boatas soon as possible, in order to place the pilot, who was the only oneinjured, under the care of a medical man. He kept his place at thewheel, his supper being brought up to him by one of his men, and shortlyafter dark came within sight of the lights of a vessel which was lyingat anchor in the stream. He blew the whistle, to let her know that hewas approaching, to which the steamer, which proved to be a gun-boat, replied by hoisting her signal-lights. Frank having no signals, whistledagain, and rang the bells for the engineer to run slowly. As soon as hecame within hailing distance, a voice called out:

"Steamer ahoy!"

"Ay, ay, sir!" shouted Frank, in reply. 

"What steamer is that?"

"Army transport Key-West, bound for the mouth of the river, withdispatches from the admiral. "

"Come alongside, here, " shouted the voice. 

"Ay, ay, sir, " replied Frank, and he commenced turning the boat's headtoward the vessel, while a hurrying of feet and a noise of droppinghandspikes on the gun-deck, told him in plain language that the captainof the gun-boat was not at all satisfied with the report he had made, and had called his crew to quarters, to be in readiness to sink thetransport if she should attempt to run by. It was an uncommon thingduring the expedition for boats to run in Red River after night, unlesssupplied with the necessary signals, and the young officer was not atall surprised at the precautions taken by the gun-boat. 

Frank by this time had turned the transport around, and was coming up atthe stern of the gun-boat, when the lieutenant came on deck, andentering the pilot-house, inquired:

"Are you the captain of this ship?"

"I have had no orders to act as such, " replied Frank. 

"Then why do you answer hails, and land here without my permission? I'llhave you court-martialed. "

"I answered the hails because you were not on deck; and I land herebecause I have been ordered to do so by the captain of that gun-boat. "

"Well, I am not under his orders; he has no authority over me, and Iorder you to turn around at once, and start down the river again. "

"If I should undertake that, " replied Frank, with a laugh, "this vesselwouldn't last long. Every cannon on this aide of that gun-boat pointsstraight at us, and if we should turn around, they would blow us out ofwater. "

"They would, eh?" said the lieutenant, angrily. "I'll have the whole lotof them up before a court-martial. I'm a second-lieutenant, sir, andmust not be detained, as I am on important business. Turn around atonce. "

Frank made no reply, and at that moment the bow of the transport touchedthe gun-boat, and one of the sailors sprang out with a line. As soon asthe boat was made fast, he put on his side-arms, and taking hisdispatches, walked out of the pilot-house, leaving the lieutenant almostbeside himself with rage. As soon as he stepped on board the gun-boat, he was shown into the presence of Captain Wilson, the same who hadcommanded the Ticonderoga when Frank was attached to her. 

"Oh, is it you, Mr. Nelson?" he exclaimed, seizing the young officer'shand and shaking it heartily. "Then it's all right. I did not know butyou were a rebel, and were going to run by; so I got my guns all readyto sink you. Sit down. Are you in command?"

Frank replied that he was not, and then proceeded to repeat the ordershe had received from the admiral, telling the captain of the fight withthe battery, but carefully omitting any thing that related to theconduct of the lieutenant, he ended by saying that the pilot waswounded, and requesting that the doctor might be sent on board to attendto him, which was done at once, the captain offering to send anotherpilot to take his place. 

The transport lay alongside nearly two hours, during which time thepilot's wound, which was not dangerous, was dressed. The doctor thendeclared that he was able to go on to the mouth of the river, where hecould be placed under the care of an army surgeon. Frank then took hisleave of the captain, and stepped on board the transport, accompanied byone of the gun-boat pilots, who was well-known to the young officer, andhe was confident that the lieutenant, if he should again take it intohis head to give any unnecessary orders, would hear the truth plainlytold. He was an old acquaintance of the wounded pilot, from whom he hadheard the whole history of the trip from Alexandria; but as he had saidnothing about the matter to Frank, the latter was not aware that he knewit. 

The pilot took his station at the wheel, while Frank seated himself onthe boiler-deck railing. The lieutenant stood close by, and, withoutwaiting to hear whether or not the engineers were ready to start, shouted:

"Untie that line. "

"Hold on!" shouted the pilot. "Do you want to send us adrift without anysteam? Wait till I tell you we're all ready. "

The engineers of the transport, taking advantage of the landing, hadallowed the steam to go down, in order to repair some part of themachinery that was out of order, and had the line been cast off justthen, the boat would have been at the mercy of the current, and indanger of sinking, for a short distance below lay an iron-clad ram, anchored in the river. The lieutenant had given his command in a loudtone, in order to be heard by the crew of the gun-boat, and the rebuffhe had met from the pilot did not tend to quiet his feelings, which wereconsiderably agitated by the thought that he was not in reality thecommander of the vessel. He was astonished at the pertinacity with whichhis subordinates (as he considered them) countermanded his orders, andwondered what was the use of being captain of a vessel if he was not tobe obeyed. But perhaps the new pilot did not know who he was. He wouldinform him. With this determination, he walked up to the pilot-house, and inquired:

"Do you know, sir, that I command this boat?"

"Yes, " replied the pilot, "I know all about that. But you had better goand turn in; you are only in the way here. All ready, Mr. Nelson, " hecontinued, as the engineer's bell rang at this moment. 

Frank gave the necessary orders, and in a few moments they were again ontheir way down the river, while the lieutenant walked into the cabin andthrew himself on a lounge, heartily wishing there were no gun-boat menin existence. As soon as they were fairly under way, Frank, seeing thatthe lieutenant took no further notice of what was going on, ran below toset the watch; then, after satisfying himself that every thing was rightabout decks, and that their weapons were ready for instant use, hestretched himself on a blanket in the cabin, and with his preciousdispatches (which he had carried with him wherever he went) for apillow, was soon fast asleep. 

About midnight he was suddenly awakened by a terrific crash, and sprangto his feet to find the cabin shrouded in darkness and filled withsmoke. Hastily thrusting his dispatches into his pocket, he commencedgroping for his side-arms, which, on retiring, he had placed by hisside, while a commotion on deck told him that the crew were hurrying totheir stations. When he had found his sword, he ran out of the cabin, and saw his men drawn up behind the cotton-bales, under charge of thecoxswain, who ran up to his officer and hurriedly asked for orders. Thelatter did not long remain ignorant of the nature of the attack, for ashell plunged into the cabin which he had just left, and, exploding witha deafening report, filled the air with fragments of furniture, and torea large hole in the deck above the boilers. The night was very dark, butstill there was light enough for Frank to see that the boat, no longerobeying her helm, was drifting broadside toward the battery, theposition of which could be easily determined by the flash of its guns;and it was evident that unless those guns could be speedily silenced, the transport would be altogether demolished, or disabled so that shewould fall into the hands of the rebels. Turning to the coxswain, Frankinquired:

"Is that cutter ready for immediate use?"

"All ready, sir, " was the answer. 

"Let loose those guns, then. Fire!"

The two howitzers belched forth their contents, but while they werebeing reloaded, another broadside from the battery plunged into theboat, followed by the hissing and shrieking of steam. A shot had struckthe boilers! The thought had scarcely passed through Frank's mind, whenthe pilot sprang down the steps, exclaiming:

"Mr. Nelson, the tiller-rope is shot away, sir, and the boat is onfire!"

In short, much sooner than Frank had expected, the transport was acomplete wreck. 

The cotton-bales on the guards had been set on fire by a bursting shell;the tiller-rope shot away, rendering it impossible to steer the boat;the boilers penetrated, and the engine-room filled with hot steam, whichnow began to rise and envelop the men on the boiler-deck. Soldiers andsailors at once deserted their quarters and ran about in confusion, while Frank, with his handkerchief in his mouth, to prevent his inhalingthe steam, stood wondering, where so many things were to be done, whichought to be done first. He was quickly called to action by the pilot, who, as he ran down the steps that led to the forecastle, exclaimed:

"Let every man take care of himself!"

When that man, who had been in nearly all the battles fought on theMississippi River--who had run the batteries at Vicksburg, and hadtwice, in the heat of action, swam from a sinking vessel--when _he_deserted his post, it was useless for any one to remain. The transportcould be of no further use to them, and to stay on board was to courteither death from the hot, blinding steam, or the shells that all thewhile came crashing into the boat, or capture and hard treatment at thehands of the rebels. So thought Frank, as he followed his men to theforecastle, intending to enter the cutter, and, if possible, run by thebattery and reach the Mississippi. 

The steam rolled over the lower deck in thick clouds, rendering itimpossible for him to go aft. There was now but one way to reach thecutter, and that was to jump overboard and swim to her. This order waspromptly given, and as promptly obeyed by the men, who sprang into thewater, one after another, followed by Frank, who, however, had lingereda moment to pull off his side-arms and coat, which would only impede hisprogress, and to secure his dispatches, which he tied to his waist witha strong cord he happened to have in his pocket. 

But when he reached the stern of the boat, he found that this means ofescape had been destroyed. A shell from the battery had struck thecutter, and her wreck, still hold by the rope with which she had beenmade fast, floated along with the steamer, which was slowly driftingtoward the bank. Only one of his men was to be seen, and that was thecoxswain, who was holding on to the wreck, awaiting the appearance ofhis officer. The others, giving up all hopes of escape, had doubtlessturned toward the shore. 

"Now, here's a job, sir, " said the coxswain, apparently as unconcernedas if there had not been a rebel within a hundred miles. "Here _is_a job. What's to be done now, sir?"

Frank had just asked himself the same question. He could easily reachthe shore, which was but a few yards distant, but there he wouldcertainly be captured by the rebels, who were running along the bank, yelling like demons. 

There was but one course he could pursue and save himself anddispatches, and that was to swim down the river and endeavor to pass thebattery. In the darkness he might escape undiscovered. 

"Bob, are you a good swimmer?" he asked, turning to the coxswain. 

"Yes sir! can swim all day, " was the reply. 

"Then follow me as silently as possible, and we may yet escape. "

As Frank spoke, he swam down the river with swift, noiseless strokes, anxious to get as far as possible from the boat before the fire, whichnow began to make rapid headway, should light up the river and discoverthem to the rebels. The latter had ceased firing, and were scatteredalong the bank, making prisoners of the transport's crew as fast as theytouched the shore. When Frank had reached the place where the batterywas stationed, he turned upon his back, and allowed himself to floatalong with the current, and, aided by the darkness and the smoke of theburning transport, which blew down the river, he and his companionpassed the dangerous point undiscovered. Here Frank again struck out, his every movement followed by the coxswain, who was close behind him, and who floated through the water like a cork. 

For nearly an hour they remained in the river, and it was not until theshouts of the rebels could be no longer heard, that Frank, feeling forthe present safe from pursuit, swam to the shore and sat down to rest, and to determine upon their future movements. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Up the Washita. 

All noise of pursuit, if any had been made, had died away, and not asound disturbed the stillness of the woods. But Frank had learned, byexperience, that silence was not indicative of safety, for it might, atany moment, be broken by the report of muskets, or a sudden demand forsurrender from enemies who had followed them so silently that theirapproach had not been discovered. He bent suspicious glances upon thewoods on all sides of him, and was ready to plunge into the water againupon hearing the least sounds of pursuit. 

What had become of the wounded pilot, the lieutenant, and the rest ofthe cutter's crew? All who had succeeded in reaching the shore, were, beyond a doubt, prisoners. 

Frank shuddered when he thought of the hard fare and harder treatmentthat awaited the poor fellows, recalling to mind incidents of his owncapture and escape, which made him doubly anxious to reach theMississippi as soon as possible, where he would be safe among friends. 

After resting nearly an hour, for their long swim had wearied them, theycontinued their flight down the river, being careful to keep close tothe bank, so that in case of emergency they could again take to thewater. The shore was covered with logs and bushes, and their progresswas slow and laborious. But daylight came at length, and shortlyafterward they discovered a transport coming up the river. When shearrived opposite to them, Frank hailed her, and the boat landed and tookthem on board. Frank gave the information that there was a batteryabove, and the captain, not liking the idea of trusting his unarmedvessel within range of its guns, ordered the pilot to round-to and startdown the river again. The order was obeyed at once, and Frank and thecoxswain, who now began to breathe more freely, went below and stoodbefore the fire-doors to dry their clothing. About noon they arrived atthe Mississippi River, the transport landing alongside the vessel of thecommanding naval officer, to whom Frank delivered his dispatches intriumph, at the same time apologizing for his appearance, for he waswithout coat, hat, or side-arms. 

Among these dispatches of the admiral were orders for two tin-clads toreport at Alexandria. These vessels were to be used to keep the banksclear of rebels, to carry dispatches, and to convoy unarmed steamers upand down the river. The necessary orders were promptly issued, and in ashort time the tin-clads came alongside; their commanders received theirinstructions, after which the vessels steamed up Red River, one of themhaving Frank and the coxswain on board. The former had in his possessionseveral official documents addressed to the admiral. If he could haveseen the inside of one of them, he would have found (greatly to hissurprise) that it contained a complete history of the run fromAlexandria, that it spoke in the highest terms of his skill and bravery, and ended with a recommendation for a master's appointment. This letterhad been written by the captain to whom Frank had delivered hisdispatches, he having learned the full particulars from the coxswain, whom he had summoned into his presence while Frank was in the wardroomeating his dinner. The sailor described all that had happened in glowinglanguage, dwelling with a good deal of emphasis upon the "pluck"displayed by his young officer, and the ignorance and cowardice of thelieutenant, and ended with saying, "He didn't think of nothing, sir, butthem dispatches; and it an't every man that could have saved 'em, sir. "The captain fully agreed with the coxswain, and when the latter wasdismissed, he gave his pants a vigorous hitch, and said to himself, "IfMr. Nelson don't get another stripe around his arm now, may I bekeelhauled. " And one, to have seen him, would have thought that he wasas much pleased at the prospect as though he was about to receive theappointment himself. Frank, of course, knew nothing of this, and littleimagining that he was carrying a recommendation for his promotion, heput the letters carefully away in his pocket, thinking, no doubt, theywere all-important official documents. 

A short time before dark they arrived at the junction of the Black andWashita Rivers, where Frank found the Michigan anchored, in company withfour or five other gun-boats. He reported his safe return to hiscaptain, and then went into the wardroom and sat down to report to theadmiral by letter, according to his instructions. After all he hadpassed through, one would suppose that his report would have been a longone; but he wisely thought that all the admiral cared to know was thathis dispatches had been safely delivered. He therefore wrote, in thebriefest manner--

"I have the honor to report that, in obedience to your orders of the20th inst. , I took passage on board the United States army transport"Key-West, " for the mouth of Red River, with dispatches, which weredelivered into the hands of the commanding naval officer there. I haveto-day returned on board my vessel. "

This was all. No glowing description of the gallant manner in which hehad taken the transport by the battery, no mention of the ever-watchfuleye he had kept upon his dispatches, or of his long swim from theburning wreck, but a few simple lines, that told the admiral all hewished to know; namely, that his letters had reached their destination. This report Frank placed before the captain, who wrote upon it "approvedand respectfully forwarded, " (for all letters from subordinate officersto the admiral had to pass through the captain's hands, ) and the letterwas put into the general mail. Frank then, in obedience to the captain'sorder, proceeded to give that gentleman a minute account of the mannerin which he had executed his orders, together with the names of the menbelonging to the cutter's crew who were missing, and wound up with therequest that "something might be done for the coxswain, " for he was abrave man, and a good sailor. As the Michigan had but one boatswain'smate, (she was entitled to two, ) the captain determined to promote theman, who was at once summoned into the cabin and presented with theboatswain's whistle. He retired, proud of his promotion, and firm in hisbelief that "the captain and Mr. Nelson were the best men afloat. "

Frank, so weary that he could scarcely walk, was glad to get to bed; butthe captain sat for a long time at his desk, writing a letter to theadmiral, which contained the statement that, in his opinion, "ActingEnsign Frank Nelson, by the gallant manner in which he had executed theimportant business intrusted to him, had nobly earned his promotion, and, by the skill and judgment he had exhibited in handling thetransport, had shown that he was fully capable of taking charge of a_vessel of his own_, and that his past history, taken in connectionwith his recent exploit, was sufficient guarantee that the honor of theflag would never suffer in his hands. "

Frank, all unconscious of the admiration his gallant behavior hadexcited in the mind of the captain, slept soundly until daylight, whenhe was called up to get the vessel under way. The expedition wascomposed of five gun-boats, and its destination was Monroe, a small townabout two hundred miles up Washita River. Its object was to capturecotton, and to destroy any fortifications that might be found along thebanks. The remainder of the fleet, which was at Alexandria when Frankleft, had gone up Red River, toward Shreveport. Had he been allowed hischoice in the matter, Frank would have preferred to accompany the latterexpedition, as he then would have been able, after Shreveport had beencaptured, to visit the prison in which he had been confined, and fromwhich he had escaped in so remarkable a manner. He thought over all thescenes through which he had passed--his capture, the march toShreveport, his flight from the prison, the bayonet-fight in the woods, the chase by blood-hounds--and they seemed to him like a dream. 

George Le Dell, who was the officer of the deck, stood close besideFrank, gazing about as if every object that met his eye was a familiarone. Every turn of the paddle-wheels was bringing him nearer to the homeof his childhood, from which he was now excluded by the stern mandate ofhis rebel father. Ever since he had been attached to the Michigan, heand Frank had been bosom friends. The dangers through which they hadpassed while fugitives from a rebel prison--their hair-breadth escapesfrom recapture--could never be forgotten. No one on board besides Frankknew any thing of George's past history. In accordance with the latter'sdesire, the secret was closely kept, and no one imagined that the pale, quiet young officer was any relation to the rebel general whose house ithad been ordered should be burned. Ever since the receipt of that order, every one remarked that George Le Dell had been unusually thoughtful, but no one knew the cause. 

"Mr. Nelson, " said he, at length, "I wish I could have gone up RedRiver. I want to see home once more, but I don't want to stand by andsee the old house burned over the heads of my mother and sisters. Idon't deny that the order is a just one, but I don't want to see itexecuted. I begin to believe that I am a good prophet, " he continued, after a moment's pause. "I told father, in the last letter I ever wroteto him, that this war would bring him nothing but suffering anddisgrace, and I think he will find that I told the truth. "

As George ceased speaking, he turned and walked to another part of thedeck, to meet the captain, who at that moment came out of his cabin. 

Among all the ship's company, there was but one that could sympathizewith George, and that one was Frank. The young officer cherished anhonest enmity toward the traitors whose bloody hands were stretched outto pull down the Old Flag under which his ancestors had fought and died, but when Frank looked upon the pale face of his messmate, and listenedto his oft-repeated sentiments of loyalty, and heard him, in his quietway, expressing his firm belief in the final triumph of the Governmentand the total overthrow of the rebellion, and when he witnessed hisquiet submission to his cruel fate, knowing that he was cut off from allfurther intercourse with his relatives, he could not help pitying bothhim and his rebel parents. But he knew, from those letters he had read, and which George still preserved, and from what he had witnessed on thatmemorable night when he and his companions had stopped at the plantationand asked for food, that the general and his family had taken part withthe rebellion, not to secure any rights which they imagined had beendenied them, but to assist in "establishing a confederacy of their own, whose corner-stone should be slavery, " and to destroy "every vestige ofthe old Union. " Like George, he knew that the order to burn the housewas a just one; but he would have been much better pleased had someother boat been selected to execute it. He did not pity the rebels somuch, but he did not want to witness the sorrow his messmate wouldexperience when he saw the home of his boyhood enveloped in flames. 

The next day, as the two friends stood together on deck, George suddenlysaid--

"We're almost there. I know these woods well. I've caught many a stringof fish off that log that lies in the water just ahead. "

About half a mile further on, the Michigan came round a sharp bend inthe river, and they saw the plantation before them. Every thing lookedjust as it did on that long-to-be-remembered night when George hadsuddenly presented himself before his relatives, who thought him safe inthe prison at Tyler. There were the broad stone steps that led up to theportico on which the major had stood while making known his wants, andjust in front of them were the posts to which the general and his sonshad fastened their horses before entering the house. 

The fleet did not stop, as they had expected, but kept on up the river, and in a few moments more the plantation was out of sight. No doubt theburning of the house was to be put off until their return. 

The expedition reached Monroe without mishap, and without seeing asingle armed rebel, only stopping now and then to pick up cotton, whichwas scattered all along the bank. The vessels remained at anchor infront of the town for two days, and after burning the public buildings, and picking up some escaped Union prisoners, started down the riveragain. The Michigan led the way, and on the afternoon of the second daycame to anchor in front of General Le Dell's plantation. 

"Mr. Nelson, " said the captain, as he stepped down out of thepilot-house, "order two companies of small-armed men to be called away, and you and Mr. Le Dell get ready to go on shore with me. By the way, "he added, turning to George, "I have orders to burn out this rebelnamesake of yours. "

"So I have heard, sir, " replied George, while not a muscle of his facequivered to show the surprise and sorrow he felt at being obliged toaccompany the expedition ashore. He had hoped that some other officerwould be chosen to accompany the captain, but he could not ask to beexcused from duty without exciting suspicions. The reason why he did notwish to go could be easily guessed, and if the truth became known, itwould be followed by what he particularly desired to avoid--the sympathyof all his messmates. He would accompany the expedition, but he wouldneither enter the house or go into the presence of his mother andsisters, and he might return without being recognized. By the time hehad buckled on his sword and returned to the deck the men were ready, when, in obedience to Frank's order, he marched them on board the tug, which lay at the stern of the Michigan. When they reached the shore, Frank instructed George to post sentries all around the house, both toguard against surprise, and also to prevent the escape of any rebelsoldiers who might chance to be in the building, after which heaccompanied the captain to the door, where they were met by Mrs. Le Delland her daughters, who coldly received their salutations, and waited forthem to make known the object of their visit. 

"Madam, " said the captain, addressing himself to Mrs. Le Dell, "I amordered to burn your house. "

"I have been expecting it for a long time, " was the reply. 

"I will give you a reasonable time, " continued the captain, "to removeyour valuables. "

The lady then requested that an hour might be allowed her to send for aneighbor, who lived several miles distant, to come with his team toremove the furniture to a place of safety, as all the wagons about theplantation had been given up to the rebel army. This was granted, and anote, which was first presented for the inspection of the captain, wasat once dispatched to summon the neighbor. 

In the meantime, Frank and George were strolling about the plantation, the latter feasting his eyes on every familiar object, and recalling tomind incidents of the "good old times, " as he expressed it. Frank alsorecognized two objects; one was the barn where he and hisfellow-fugitives had halted to hold a consultation before going up tothe house; and the other was the fence behind which the captain had lefttheir prisoner, bound hand and foot. While thus engaged, a little boy, who had approached them without being discovered, suddenly called out, "George!"

The latter turned, as the familiar voice reached his ear, and held outhis hands to his brother, who sprang toward him, threw his arms aroundhis neck, and burst into tears. There was one among George's relativeswho still remembered and loved him. 

"George, " sobbed the little fellow, "are you a Yankee 'bolitionist?"

Tears choked George's utterance, and the boy, suddenly breaking from hisarms, ran toward the house, and scrambling up the steps, burst into theroom where the captain and ladies were seated, and astonished them allwith:

"Mother, mother! George is here! He's come back!"

Both mother and daughter appeared to be considerably agitated uponreceiving this news, and the captain noticing it, the suspicion flashedacross his mind that it was one of their rebel friends. He glanced outat the door, and saw his two officers standing quietly together, thesentinels walking their beats, and felt satisfied that the rebel, whoever he was, might consider himself a prisoner. 

"Who do you mean, my little man?" he asked, putting his hand on theboy's head. "What is his other name?"

"George Le Dell, " replied the boy, promptly. "He's my brother. He's outthere, " and he pointed toward the place where George and Frank werestanding. 

"Is that your brother?" asked the captain in surprise, as he turnedtoward Mrs. Le Dell for an explanation. 

"I have a son in the Federal navy, " replied the lady. 

"Then, madam, " said the captain, "if that young man out there is yourson, allow me to say that you have every reason to be proud of him. "

At this moment the neighbor for whom they had sent arrived, and he andthe captain held a long conversation; after which, to his surprise, Frank was ordered to collect the men and march them on board the tug. The Michigan remained at her anchorage until the flag-ship of theexpedition came down, when the two captains had a short consultation, and both vessels got under way and steamed down the river. The reasongiven why the order to burn the house was not executed was this: Unlikethe majority of rebel commanders, General Le Dell had always treatedUnion prisoners who had fallen into his hands with the greatesthumanity. Although he seemed to be particularly spiteful toward George, whom he called a "young traitor, " he always endeavored to make thecondition of other prisoners as tolerable as possible. The truth of thiswas attested by the soldiers they had picked up at Monroe, all of whomwere officers, and they had done much toward saving the property. Thecaptain of the Michigan had delayed to fulfill his orders until thearrival of his superior, in order to communicate some news he hadreceived from the man who had been sent to remove the furniture, andwhen the flag-ship arrived, the order had been countermanded. 

"Perhaps every thing will come out right after the war, " said George, asthe two friends stood watching the plantation as long as it remained ineight. "If it does, we'll have the old house to live in. "

On the way down the river, large quantities of cotton were captured, which made both officers and men look forward to a good share ofprize-money, and one afternoon--about a week after leaving Monroe--theyreached Black River in safety. 

CHAPTER X. 

The Promotion. 

The next day, in obedience to orders from the admiral, the Michigansteamed up Red River, and came to an anchor in front of Fort De Russy. Afew rebel soldiers had taken possession of the fortifications, and thevessel had scarcely dropped her anchor when they opened upon her withmuskets. All hands were ordered under cover, and for two days were keptclosely confined below. The bullets, which constantly whistled over thedeck, did no damage beyond cutting down the flag--which, however waspromptly hoisted again--and battering up the officers' rooms on thequarter-deck, which were not iron-clad. Several attempts were made todislodge the rebels, but, as usual, without success. On the third day, however, a heavy firing up the river, in the direction of Alexandria, announced that the expedition was returning, and the rebels, fearingcapture, hastily withdrew. Toward evening the fleet came in sight, someof the transports having gun-boats alongside of them for protection. Theentire fleet bore marks of the handiwork of the rebels, in the shape ofbattered casemates, broken chimneys, and shattered upper works. Littlehad been accomplished beyond the capture of cotton, and both officersand men teemed delighted to find themselves once more on the way to theMississippi River. 

In about an hour after the first boats of the fleet had made theirappearance, a tin-clad came down, bearing the admiral's flag, androunded-to and landed a short distance below the Michigan. Close behindher came another of the mosquito fleet, towed by a transport. Bothvessels were badly cut up, especially the gun-boat, which was almost awreck. Both chimneys had either been broken off by branches of trees orshattered by a shell, and her casemates were pierced in a hundredplaces. Her engines had also been disabled, and her wheel hungmotionless in the water. Still she retained enough of her formerappearance for Frank to recognize in her his old vessel, the Boxer;besides, he saw his cousin on the guards waving his handkerchief to him. While Frank stood watching the vessel, wondering how any of her crewcould have escaped, and how Archie had conducted himself during thefights through which he had passed, the captain came up out of his cabinand exclaimed:

"Mr. Nelson, you're wanted on board the flagship! Don't wait to get yourside-arms, but go at once. The admiral is in a great hurry to see you!"

Frank, wondering what new orders he was about to receive, ran down theladder that led to the afterguard, reached the shore on a plank thatextended from the stern of the vessel to the bank, and in a short timewas in the presence of the admiral. 

That gentleman was so busy that he did not notice Frank, until one ofhis clerks exclaimed:

"Admiral! here's Captain Nelson, sir. "

"Ah, yes, " said the admiral, scarcely looking up from his work. "Sitdown, captain; I'm very busy just at present. "

_Captain!_ Frank knew that neither the admiral nor his clerks werein the habit of making mistakes, but he thought they were certainlymistaken this time. Perhaps they were so busy they had not taken time tosee who he was. But he was not kept long in suspense, for the admiral, after signing his name to several documents, turned in his chair, andpicking up some letters that lay on his desk, handed them to Frank, saying:

"Captain, there are your orders. I only wanted to see you to say that Iwish them obeyed with the least possible delay. Have the Boxer back hereas soon as you can, for I want to use her. Get your baggage on board andstart at once. "

Frank, so bewildered that he scarcely knew what the admiral was saying, took the letters and hurried back to the Michigan. The captain met himat the gangway, and extending his hand, said, with a smile:

"I'm sorry to have you leave us, Mr. Nelson. I suppose you have got it?"

"I have something, sir, " replied Frank, "but I don't know what it is. "

As he spoke, he tore open one of the envelopes, and hastily running hiseye over the letter it contained, found, to his astonishment, that hewas an acting master. The next one he opened was an order for him toreport "to the commanding officer of the U. S. S. Boxer for duty and_command of that vessel_. " The other contained instructions for himto "proceed to Cairo without delay, and place his vessel under repairs, and as soon as she was put in condition for service, to return andreport to the admiral. "

"Just as I expected, " said the captain, who seemed to be as highlyelated as Frank himself. "Just as I expected, sir. You deserve it, and Icongratulate you. "

Frank made some reply, in his excitement he hardly knew what, andhurried off to pack his trunk and bed-clothes. This being accomplished, his baggage was carried to the cutter, which lay alongside, and aftertaking leave of the captain and his messmates, he stepped into the boatand started for his vessel, which still lay at the bank, below theflagship, with the transport which was to tow her to Cairo. As hestepped on board the Boxer, he was met by Archie, and several of his oldmessmates, who greeted him cordially. The executive officer was incommand, and to him Frank showed his orders, and requested that hisbaggage might be conveyed into the cabin. He then went on deck, andafter ascertaining that the transport was ready to start, ordered theline cast off, and both vessels were soon on their course down theriver. 

After finding they were fairly under way, Frank, accompanied by Archie, went into the cabin, and sat down to collect his thoughts, for, in theexcitement of his unexpected promotion, he moved like one in a dream. The cabin steward had already taken his trunk into his state-room, andwas engaged in making his bed. Captain Nelson! How strangely it sounded;and Frank repeated it several times, and gazed about the cabin as if hecould scarcely believe that he was awake. He read his appointment andorders over and over again, both to fully understand what was requiredof him, and to convince himself that he was in reality the commander ofa vessel. When he was made the executive officer of the very boat he nowcommanded, he had reached the height of his ambition, and his presentposition was a step higher than he had dared to look. 

The captain of a gun-boat generally lives in a little world of his own. He has a cabin all to himself, messes alone, and rarely has intercoursewith his officers, except upon business. If he has a messmate, it iseither a clerk, or the paymaster or doctor of the vessel. Frank was notentitled to a clerk, but he had a paymaster, and, at his request, Archieat once commenced the removal of his baggage into one of the vacantstate-rooms in the cabin. While thus engaged, the orderly announced theexecutive officer, who entered to inquire if Frank had any orders togive. The latter replied that he had not, and for nearly an hour heremained in conversation with the executive, during which he learned theexact state of affairs about decks. Every thing appeared to be going onsmoothly, and Frank had no desire to show his authority by issuingunnecessary orders. One by one the wardroom and steerage officers camein to congratulate the young commander, and when bed-time came theyreturned to their quarters, saying among themselves that "Captain Nelsondidn't feel any bigger in his new position than he would if he werenothing but a Johnny master's mate. "

One afternoon, after they had reached the Mississippi River, as Franksat at his desk, writing a letter to his mother, and Archie lay on thesofa close by, engaged in reading, there was a commotion on deck, andthe orderly burst into the cabin, exclaiming--

"Rebels, cap'n! A battery just ahead, sir!" And he had scarcely spoken, when there was a roar of cannon, and the shells burst over and about thevessels. 

"Call to quarters, " said Frank, as he sprang to his feet and ran intohis room after his side-arms and the keys to the magazine. 

The orderly disappeared, followed by Archie, who, throwing his book intothe furthest corner of the cabin, ran on deck, without even waiting toget his hat. 

After ordering the executive, who met him at the door, to have the lampsin the magazine lighted, and to prepare for action, Frank ran into thepilothouse, and looking up the river, discovered a smoke arising from apoint half a mile in advance of them. 

"Captain, " shouted the commander of the transport, who stood in hispilot-house, "what do you want me to do?"

"Take us up the river as fast as you can, " shouted Frank, in reply. 

The captain had evidently seen some stirring times while up Red River. He was not accustomed to the noise and confusion of battle, and hisactions indicated that he did not like the idea of attempting to run bythe battery. But his orders from the admiral were to take the Boxer toCairo as soon as possible, and he dared not disobey them. 

"All ready below, sir, " was the word at this moment passed up throughthe trumpet. 

All the guns on board the Boxer were pointed at the battery, and thecrew impatiently waited for the order to fire. Frank stood at his post, watching the battery through a spy-glass, and waiting until they shouldcome to close quarters, so that he could make every shot count. All thiswhile the shells had been dropping into the water, and shrieking throughthe air about the vessels, and one or two had found a lodgement in thewheel-house of the transport. They kept on in silence until they arrivedalmost opposite the battery, which stood out in plain view, unprotectedby levee or other breastwork, and Frank then gave the order to open uponthem. The crash that followed the order, as every gun that could bebrought to bear upon the battery belched forth its contents, wasterrific. Shells and canister rattled over the bank, cutting down therebel gunners, and disabling one of their cannon. As quickly aspossible, the guns were reloaded, and almost before the rebels hadrecovered from their panic, another broadside was poured into them, andwhen the smoke cleared away, the battery was standing deserted. Here wasan opportunity that, to Frank, had he possessed men enough to back himup, would not have been lost; he would have landed, and captured thebattery. But he was ignorant of the force of the rebels. There might bea regiment of them hidden away in the woods--enough to have captured thevessels the moment they touched the bank--and to have lost the Boxerscarcely a week after he had been placed in command of her would havebeen a misfortune indeed. He kept on up the river, shelling the woods aslong as he could bring a gun to bear upon them. 

In a few days they arrived at Cairo, where Frank reported to thecommandant of the station, and his vessel was at once placed in thehands of the workmen at the navy-yard. The work was rapidly pushedforward, and at the end of a month she was declared ready for service, and after she had been furnished with a full crew from the receivingship, and Archie had laid in a stock of paymaster's stores, the Boxer, in obedience to orders, started down the river to report to the admiral. 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Rival Spies. 

They found the admiral at Natchez, and when Frank had reported hisarrival, he was ordered to take his station at Gaines' Landing--a placenoted for guerrillas--which they reached in safety. For two or threedays, nothing worthy of note transpired, the rebels, if there were anyabout, being careful not to show themselves. 

One night, while Frank was walking the deck, arm-in-arm with his cousin, the officer on watch approached, and said, in a low voice:

"Look there, sir! What kind of a craft is that?"

Frank looked in the direction indicated, and an object about the size ofa man's head could be dimly seen in the water, silently but rapidlyapproaching the vessel. It came from toward the nearest shore, and thethought that it was a torpedo instantly flushed through his mind. Takingthe spy-glass from the quarter-master, he leveled it at the object, andcould distinctly see that it was a human head, and that it belonged tosome one who was an excellent swimmer, for he was making rapid progressthrough the water. 

"I don't see any torpedo there, " said he, at length, handing the glassto his cousin, "for the fellow, whoever he is, is using both hands. "Then raising his it voice, he called out, "Who comes there?"

"A friend, " was the scarcely audible reply. 

"Come on board here. "

"That's just what I want to do, " answered the man, who, with a few morestrokes, was near enough to be seized by the quarter-master--who had ranbelow with a lantern--and lifted upon the guards. 

"Who are you, and what are you doing here at this time of night?" askedFrank, as soon as the man had come on deck. 

"My name is William Striker, " was the answer, "and I am an escaped Unionscout. "

Frank took the lantern from the quarter-master's hand and held it up, sothat he could obtain a good view of the man's face. He was certain hehad seen it before, but could not remember where. 

"I have a better memory than you, sir, " said the man at length. "I haveseen you before. I met you in the trenches at Vicksburg. "

As the man spoke, he produced a bundle of wet papers, from which heselected one that he handed to Frank. It was the appointment of major, and addressed to William Striker, United States Scout. But this was noproof that the man was in reality what he professed to be, for Frankremembered that he had once passed himself off as Lieutenant Somers, ofthe rebel army, and had shown his appointment and orders to prove it. Itwas true that he wore the dress of a Union major, but that might havebeen obtained in the same manner that Frank once got his rebel uniform. There was something suspicious in a man's presenting himself on boardthe vessel at that time of night, and in so uncommon a manner. 

"Well, " said Frank, "if you were in the trenches at Vicksburg, tell mesomething that happened there. "

The soldier then told Frank of the experiment of which the latter hadmade use to see "how far off the rebels were, " during which he lost hiscap, the rebel who captured it offering to "trade" for it a tatteredslouch-hat with a bullet-hole in it, and informed him that he was thescout who had told him the story of his "partner" Sam, and their raidinto the rebel camp, which resulted in the capture of Colonel Peckham. He also related other little incidents which Frank had not forgotten, and which proved that he was in reality the scout whom he had met in thetrenches, and not a rebel spy, as he had at first feared. Being fullysatisfied on this point, the major was conducted into the cabin, andwhile he was exchanging his wet clothes for some that Frank and Archiehad provided for him, the former ordered his steward to prepare supperfor their guest, for he knew, by experience, that a man who had been aprisoner among the rebels was hungry. The major sat down to the tablewith a most ravenous appetite, and the good things the steward hadprepared rapidly disappeared. When he had finished his meal, in answerto Frank's inquiry how he came to be a prisoner, he gave the followingaccount of his adventures, which he remarked were a "little ahead of anything he had ever gone through. "

"In the first place, " said he, "I must tell you what became of mycomrade, Sam, as it was in endeavoring to assist him that I wascaptured. His career as a scout, although an exciting one, full ofstirring adventures and hair-breadth escapes, was brought to a closesoon after the capture of Vicksburg. 

"When the army again took up its line of march, we made severalexcursions into the rebel lines, and one night we stopped at aplantation-house to shelter ourselves from the rain, for it was stormingviolently, and also to see if we could not pick up some information thatmight be of use to us. The only inmate of the house was an old woman, who, believing us to be rebels, talked freely with us on all subjects;and during the conversation, which finally turned upon scouting, informed us that there was a scout in the rebel army who was far aheadof any "Yank" that ever lived. He was described as a daring, quick-witted fellow, and many a disaster that had befallen us was owingto him. As I listened to the stories told of him, I came to theconclusion that there was a good deal of truth in them, and that somespy must indeed have been in our camp, for the woman was acquainted withseveral moves we had made, and which had been defeated, the particularsof which, I thought, were known only to the general and his staff. Thisled me to believe that the scout, whoever he was, staid abouthead-quarters, else how could he obtain so much information. 

"The woman seemed to be well acquainted with him and his movements, andtold us of several of his exploits, which, if true, showed the spy to bea man admirably fitted for his position. I listened attentively to allshe said, in hopes I should learn something of his personal appearance, for I had made up my mind that as soon as I could find out hismovements, he and I would have a meeting, But all I could learn was thathis name was Bob Cole. 

"'Well, ' said I, 'do you know that as long as I have been in the army, Ihave never seen this man?'"

"'Haven't yer!' exclaimed the woman, in surprise. 'Wal, come to think, Idon't know as that is so funny, arter all, 'cause he's in the Yankeecamp most of the time, an', as they think he is one of them, he goes an'comes when he pleases, He's a smart one, I tell yer. Some of the boystold me that he is a goin' to bring in a prisoner this week, in theshape of a Yankee scout an' spy. Bill Striker is his name, I believe. Doyer know him?'

"I couldn't help starting when I found that I was known to this notedrebel; but the woman didn't notice it, and I replied:

"Oh, yes! I've heard of him. '

"'Cordin' to all accounts, ' continued the woman, 'this Yankee an't muchbehind Bob, for he has often been in our camp, an' he don't allers goback empty-handed. If he ketches a feller in an out-of-the-way place, heis sartin to gobble him up. But his time is most up now, 'kase Bob neverfails in any thing when he onct gets his mind sot on it, an' when Iheerd that he was a goin' to ketch this Yank, I believed he would do it. 

"It was very encouraging to sit there and listen to a person talk soconfidently of my speedy capture; but, as it happened, I had been put onmy guard, and another thing, I didn't have quite as much faith in BobCole as his rebel friends had, and was in no way concerned about hisbeing able to fulfill his promise. It set me to thinking, however, and Idetermined I would not sleep sound until I had found him, and then therewould be a prisoner taken, sure; but it wouldn't be Bill Striker. 

"'What kind of a looking man is he?' I asked, at length. 

"'Oh, he's a'--

"Just at this moment we heard several horsemen going by the house, andSam exclaimed:

"'There are some of our boys now. Perhaps we are wanted. '

"I knew well enough what he meant. Although we had frequently met rebelswhile scouting about through their lines, we were not at all fond ofthem, and did not want to be in their company if we could help it. 

"Those who had just gone by might at any moment return and enter thehouse; and besides, it occurred to me that if I was so well known to therebel spy, I was not safe except in our own camp. I might, at any time, run into a trap he had laid for me. At any rate, we thought it best toget within our lines as soon as possible; so, without waiting to hearthe woman's description of Bob Cole, we bid her good night. 

"We reached our camp in safety, reported our return, and the nextmorning I walked up to headquarters, where I remained until dark, talking with the general's hostler, and keeping an ear open for news, but was obliged to go away without hearing any. The next day I was keptbusy carrying dispatches, and when I returned at night, I learned thatSam had gone into the rebel camp, as they were making some movement, theparticulars of which the general was anxious to learn. I thought nothingof it at the time, but when night came and he did not return, I began tofear that he had been captured or killed. It then occurred to me that ifI could get back to the house where lived the woman who had told us ofBob Cole, I might learn something that would be to my advantage; so Iput on my rebel uniform, and in a few moments was out of the lines. Ireached the house in safety, and was delighted to find there were norebels about. The woman seemed glad to see me, brought me a cup of waterto drink, and after a few minutes' conversation exclaimed:

"'Wal, they've gobbled up one of them fellers!'

"'Which one?' I asked. 

"'I don't know his name. Bob done it. He seed him leave the Yankee camp, an' follered him, an' while they were ridin' along together, he tuk outhis pistol an' told the Yank to give up his we'pons; but the fellerwouldn't do it, an' Bob had to shoot him. But he didn't kill him; heonly shot him through the shoulder. He's sartin to be hung. '

"You can easily imagine my feelings as I sat there and listened to this. It required a strong effort to subdue my feelings. 

"'How does Bob Cole disguise himself?' I asked, in as firm a voice as Icould command. 'What does he do in the Yankee camp?'

"'That's what nobody, 'sides Bob an' the general, knows, ' answered thewoman. 'Didn't you never see him? He's a little man, has black hair andeyes, wears no whiskers, and allers rides a little gray horse. He'ssmart, I tell yer. '

"After talking awhile longer with the woman without learning any thingfurther, I mounted my horse and returned to camp. While I was eating mysupper, I called to mind all the scouts with whom I was acquainted, butnot one of them answered to the description of Bob Cole. There was oneman in camp, however, who _did_ answer the description, and thatwas the general's hostler. Could it he possible that he was the spy?

"At this moment an orderly entered to tell me that I was wanted athead-quarters. I followed him to the general's tent, received my orders, and began to get ready for the journey. As I came out of the tent I metthe hostler, who inquired:

"'Are you off again to-night, Bill?'

"I replied in the affirmative, and he continued:

"'Well, good luck to you. Don't let the rebs get hold of you. '

"I mounted my horse and rode out of the camp, fully satisfied that if hewas the spy I would soon know it. 

"The night was very dark, but I had traveled the road often enough to bewell acquainted with it, and in an hour after I left our camp, I hadpassed the rebel sentries, and was fairly within their lines. As I wasriding quietly along, keeping a good look-out on all sides, and pausingnow and then to listen, I suddenly heard the clatter of horses' hoofsbehind me, and some one called out, in a low voice:

"Bill! Bill Striker!'

"I instantly stopped, and a moment afterward up galloped the hostler. 

"'Don't make so much noise, Jim, ' said I, nastily. 'But what on earthbrings you here? Where are you going?'

"'I'm after you, ' he replied. 'The general told me to overtake you, andsay that he had neglected to give you some very important orders. '

"All this while he had been coming nearer and nearer to me, and havingnow got within reach, he suddenly seized my bridle, and presenting arevolver, exclaimed:

"'Bill Striker, your scouting is up now! You're my prisoner!'

"If he imagined that he had taken me by surprise he was very muchmistaken. In an instant I had knocked aside the revolver, whichexploded, sending the ball harmlessly past my head, and in a moment moreI had wrested the weapon from him. Then, almost before he had time tothink twice, I lifted him off his horse and laid him across my saddle, in front of me, as if he had been a bag of corn. He was very strong, aswiry as an eel, and struggled most desperately; but I had him atdisadvantage, and when I thought of Sam, who was now a prisoner throughthe treachery of this fellow, I felt as if I had the strength of tenmen. By the time I had fairly got hold of him, I was tearing down theroad toward our lines, while his own horse had gone on toward the rebelcamp. My only danger was in being cut off by the pickets. These passed, I would be safe, for I had no fears of being overtaken. There was notime to avoid them in jumping over fences and running through fields, for I knew that the report of the revolver had been heard, and that, unless I could reach our lines in a very few moments, Bob Cole wouldagain be a free man and I would be the prisoner. I used my spurs freely, and my horse, which seemed to understand that he was called upon to makeuse of his best speed, carried us over the ground at a tremendous rate. In a short time I came within sight of a fire burning by the side of theroad. I heard a loud command to halt, followed by the noise of a bulletas it whistled by my head, and the pickets were passed in safety. Halfan hour afterward I dismounted in front of the general's tent, anddelivered up my prisoner. You can't imagine how surprised our boys wereto learn that we had had a rebel spy in our camp so long without knowingit. Bob Cole had played his cards remarkably well, and if Sam and I hadnot stopped at that house to get out of the rain, there's no knowing howmuch longer he would have been at liberty. But he was safe in theguard-house at last, and I must confess that I breathed more freely. Ifhe was the only rebel who knew me, there was now no danger of runninginto a trap laid for my capture. My first hard work must be to attemptSam's release. I knew it would be worse than useless to return to therebel camp that night, for it had been aroused, and my own chances ofescape would be none of the surest; so I let two days pass beforesetting out, and then I did not follow my usual course, but took aroundabout way to get behind their camp, where I would not run so muchrisk of meeting the pickets. 

"I reached the lines in safety, and as I was riding along by the side ofthe road, keeping my horse on the grass, to make as little noise aspossible, I heard horsemen approaching, and presently up galloped aparty of rebels. I thought they would pass without discovering me, butwas mistaken, for one of them drew in his horse and exclaimed--

"'Wal, ef here an't another, ' and I was speedily surrounded, andcommanded to 'hand over my we'pons. '

"'Look here, boys, ' said I, 'I've got a pass, ' and I made a motion toproduce it. 

"'Oh, we don't want to see your pass, ' said the corporal who had chargeof the squad; 'we've seed a dozen to-night that wasn't no 'count. Youmust go to the guard-house, 'cause you know it's the general's ordersthat nobody goes out o' camp. '

"This showed me that I was not suspected of being a Federal, but wasarrested as one of their own men who was endeavoring to get out of thelines. 

"'I know it's mighty hard, ' continued the corporal, 'not to let a fellergo home, when p'rhaps it an't five miles off; but orders is orders, youknow. Howsomever, you wont hev no trouble to get out o' the guard-house, 'cause--by gum! ef here an't some more, ' and, as he spoke, he left me, and rode up to three men who were crouching in the fence-corner by theroadside. These were speedily secured, and we went on our way toward theguard-house. The rebel army, it appeared, was encamped in a part of thecountry where a number of regiments had been raised, and the men, anxious to see home and friends once more, were deserting byhundreds--'taking French, ' as we call it. As we rode along, I learnedsomething, from the conversation of my captors, that made me wish I hadnever taken Bob Cole prisoner, and that was, that Sam had died from theeffects of the wound he had received while resisting the rebel. Thiswas, perhaps, better than being hung, but how I wished I had known itbefore taking the spy to camp. I had put myself in danger without beingable to be of any assistance to Sam, and I now set my wits to work toconjure up some plan for escape. 

"Finally, after capturing one more rebel who was about to 'take French, 'we reached the guard house, which was a rickety old barn. As we enteredthe door, the rebels, with whom the house was filled, greeted us withloud yells, and slapped us on our backs, as though they looked upon ourcapture as a most excellent joke. The majority of our fellow-prisonerswere confined for attempting to leave the camp to visit their friends;but putting them in the guard-house was only a farce, for I had not beenin the room fifteen minutes before I saw three men make their escapethrough a window. I determined to try the same thing; so, after waitinga few moments, to see that they were not brought back, I walked up tothe window and looked out. A sentinel was standing at the corner of thebuilding, but as soon as he saw me he shouldered his gun and walked off, whistling. It was plain that he had no objections to my making my escapeif I wished to do so, and, as soon as he was out of sight, I crawled outof the window, dropped to the ground, and walked off with an appearanceof unconcern I was very far from feeling. 

"I had lost my horse, but that did not trouble me, for the camp was notfar off, and I had no fears of pursuit. I had scarcely got safely out oftheir lines, however, before I became aware that I was followed. Iturned and saw a party of men, who, keeping their horses on the grass atthe side of the road, had succeeded in getting within pistol-shot beforeI heard them. As I sprang over a fence I heard my name pronounced, followed by the report of several revolvers and carbines, that sent thebullets about me altogether too close for comfort. 

"Well, to make a long story short, I laid about in the woods for amonth, making a raid now and then on a chicken-roost, to supply mycommissary department; but all this while the rebels followed me likeblood-hounds. I had gone miles out of my way--in fact, I did not knowwhere I was, until one day I was in with a party of guerrillas. I toldthem I was a reb on French leave, and on my way to visit my friends, wholived on the opposite side of the river. From them I learned that theMississippi was sixty miles distant, and was also informed that therewas a gun-boat at Gaines's Landing, and was advised to keep out of herway. This was the best news I had heard in a long time, and I determinedto make the best of my way here. I came off to the vessel in the night, because I did not know but there might be rebels on the watch, and as Iwas entirely unarmed, I did not want to run any risks. Since leaving ourcamp, I have traveled nearly two hundred miles without a weapon of anykind, not even a pocket-knife; and if either of you has ever been aprisoner, you can easily imagine that I am overjoyed to find myself safeamong friends once more. And now, captain, " continued the scout, "I havea proposition to make you. The leader of these guerrillas whom I metback in the country makes his head-quarters in a desertedplantation-house about forty miles from the river. He never has morethan two or three men with him, the others being scattered over thecountry, stealing horses from both rebels and Union people. Now, I wouldlike to help capture him and break up his band of guerrillas, for he's aperfect demon, and never takes any prisoners. There is a house about tenmiles from here where we can get all the horses we need, and three orfour men could do the job nicely. This guerrilla's brother was formerlythe captain of the band, but he was killed by a party of rebels, just ashe was about to hang a couple of Union prisoners he had taken--gun-boatmen, I believe. His name is Thorne, and--what's the matter, captain?"

Frank had started upon hearing the name of the guerrilla chief at whosehands he and the mate had so nearly suffered death, and from which theywere rescued by the Wild-cats, and just as he finished relating thestory of the "Close Shave, " the orderly entered the cabin and announcedthe dispatch-boat "General Lyon" approaching. 

CHAPTER XII. 

A Scouting Party. 

Frank, of course, could not agree to the scout's proposition withoutfirst obtaining permission of either the admiral or Captain Wilson--thecommander of the division to which the Boxer belonged. He did not knowwhere to go to find the former, and besides, the latter had given himstrict orders not to leave his station until relieved by some othervessel, and to allow no one to go ashore. The very nature of theseorders put it out of his power to obtain liberty to carry out theproposed expedition. He went to bed pondering upon what the major hadtold him, and fell asleep without being able to conjure up any plan bywhich the capture of the rebel might be effected. 

The next morning, while at breakfast, the orderly entered the cabin andreported a gun-boat approaching. Frank at once went on deck, and when hehad made out her signals, he found, to his delight, that it was theManhattan, the flagship of the division to which the Boxer belonged. After ordering the officer of the deck to have the gig called away, Frank ran into the cabin, put on his side-arms, and, in company with themajor, put off to the iron-clad. 

Captain Wilson received them cordially, listened with a good deal ofinterest to the scout's plan for the capture of the guerrilla, andfinally gave Frank permission to "do as he pleased in the matter, "adding, "You have never yet failed in an undertaking of this kind, and Ishall fully expect you to succeed in the present instance. I will behere again in about a week, and you can turn the prisoner over to me. "The confident manner in which the captain spoke of his success, madeFrank more determined than ever to capture the guerrilla, if within thebounds of possibility. After giving a short report of the state ofaffairs on his station, he returned to the Boxer, highly delighted withthe result of the interview. Archie was no less pleased, for, althoughhe had not said a word about accompanying his cousin, he looked upon itas a settled thing that he was to be one of the expedition. Frank, whoknew the danger of the undertaking, and was anxious to keep Archie outof harm's way, would have preferred to leave him behind; but, as thelatter had shown, in a remarkable manner, that he was equal to anyemergency, the young commander could not deny him on the ground that hehad never "smelt powder. "

The major advised Frank to take at least one more man; and this one wassoon forthcoming in the shape of Tom, the coxswain of the first cutter, the same who had been left in charge of the boat on the night that Frankand Archie had broken up the head-quarters of the "Louisiana Wildcats. "He was at once summoned into the cabin, and after the object of theproposed expedition had been explained to him, Frank inquired: "Now, Tom, do you want to go with us?" "Douse my to'-gallant top-lights! yessir, " he replied, eagerly. "But, Cap'n Nelson, I wouldn't like to beleft behind, sir, when it comes to the dangerous part of the business, like I was on the night when the paymaster burned that house. I want togo with you to the end, sir, an' if I ever show the white feather, thenmay I be keelhauled!"

Frank assured him that he would be allowed to accompany them whereverthey went, and the coxswain departed satisfied. 

When night came, the gig was called away, and Frank, accompanied by themajor, Archie, and the coxswain, was set on shore. When the boat hadreturned to the vessel, which was now in command of the executiveofficer, the major led his companions through the woods toward the placewhere the horses were to be obtained. They traveled in silence, following the motions of their guide, who walked along as if he wellunderstood what he was about. The expedition certainly promised betterthan any in which Frank had before engaged. It was led by a manaccustomed to scenes of danger, and was altogether composed of thosewhose courage and determination had, more than once, been thoroughlytested. They were all well armed, and, in addition to a brace ofrevolvers, the coxswain carried a heavy saber; for, as he remarked, hemight be called upon to "repel boarders, " and he wanted some weapon thathe knew how to use. 

After three or four hours' walk through the woods they came to a fence, where the major paused. Before them was a wide field, in which stood aplantation-house. Bright lights gleamed in the windows, and the majorturned to his companions and said:

"There are more people in the house than there were last night. "

They all listened intently, and could hear an indistinct murmur ofvoices, and now and then the tramping of horses in the road that ran infront of the house. 

"There are some rebel soldiers in there, " continued the major, "and wecan now get our horses without any difficulty, already saddled andbridled. "

As he spoke, he led the way along the fence toward the road, and theypresently came in sight of half a dozen horses which were tied in frontof the house. No orders were necessary, for each one knew what wasrequired of him. In a few moments they had quietly secured their horses, and were riding noiselessly down the road. As soon as they were out ofsight of the house, they began to make an examination of their prizes, and found that the rebels, who, no doubt, had little dreamed that anyone would disturb them there, had left their sabers attached to theirsaddles, and their pistols in their holsters. Frank and Archie alsofound themselves possessed, the former of a fine double-barrel shot-gun, loaded with buck-shot, and the latter of a heavy carbine; and theammunition for each of these weapons had been left on the saddles. Thehorses were splendid animals, evidently the fruits of a raid upon somewell-stocked barn-yard, for they appeared fresh and vigorous, and hadundoubtedly been accustomed to the best of care. As soon as they wereout of hearing of the people in the house, they put their horses into agallop, and as the road was excellent, they made rapid headway. For hourafter hour they kept on, stopping only now and then to water theirhorses. Just before daylight the major, who had scarcely spoken duringthe whole ride, suddenly came to a halt. As his companions gatheredabout him, he said, almost in a whisper: "Now, boys, we are at ourjourney's end. There's the house!" and as he spoke, he pointed to alarge building just ahead of them. "My advice, captain, " he continued, turning to Frank, "would be to ride carefully up in front of the house, hitch our horses--for of course, we must not lose them--and then burstopen the door and gobble up the guerrilla before he has time to get outof bed. "

This plan was adopted. Riding noiselessly up to the gate, theydismounted, and after tying their horses, they drew their sabers (as itwas their intention to rely entirely upon the _sight_ of theseweapons to bring the guerrilla to terms). Then they entered the yard, and ascended the steps that led on to a wide portico. Here the major, who was in advance, paused a moment, to see that his companions wereclose behind him, and then, placing his shoulder against the door, withone strong push, forced it open. They all sprang into the house, Frankand Archie being close beside the major, and found themselves, to theirutter astonishment, in the presence of a dozen guerrillas, who startedfrom their blankets in alarm. So great was their surprise, that bothparties for an instant stood gazing at each other, as if suddenlydeprived of the power of action. 

"Sink my tarry wig, Cap'n Nelson, but here's a scrape for honest men tobe in!" exclaimed the coxswain, who had kept as close to his officer aspossible. "Here _is_ a scrape!"

Their position was not an enviable one. There they were, forty milesfrom their vessel, almost in the heart of an enemy's country, andconfronted by three times their number of armed rebels, who, no doubt, could be speedily reinforced. It was too late to retreat, even had theyfelt disposed to do so. But the idea never once entered their heads. Sointent were they upon the capture of the guerrilla chief, that theythought of nothing else, and they were perfectly well aware that theonly way to get out of the house was to fight their way through theirenemies. 

The period of inaction lasted only for an instant; then a few of therebels, springing to their feet, retreated precipitately through theback door; but the others, recovering from their surprise, andcomprehending the nature of the attack, bravely stood their ground, andone tall fellow sprang forward and struck savagely at the major with hissword. But the scout was on the alert, receiving the blow upon his ownsaber, and before the rebel had time to renew his attack, a shot from arevolver stretched him lifeless on the floor. 

This opened the fight. The example of the rebel was quickly followed byhis comrades, who, depending wholly upon their sabers, rushed upon theofficers with the utmost fury. But they were bravely met. The latterstubbornly held their ground, and parrying the blows directed at them, used their revolvers with deadly effect. At this moment a door at thefurther end of the hall suddenly opened, and a man sprang out, carryinga short, heavy sword. 

"Give it to 'em, lads!" he shouted, hurrying forward to join in thefight. "Give it to 'em. No quarter to the Yankees!"

This was the guerrilla chief, and the order he had just given told Frankand his companions, in plain language, that if overpowered, no mercywould be shown them. 

The rebels, encouraged by the voice of their leader, redoubled the furyof their attacks, and the officers were driven to the wall. Thecoxswain, on entering, had closed the door to prevent the escape of theguerrilla, and thus their retreat was cut off; but they had theadvantage of position, for the rebels, unable to get behind them, mustmake their attacks in front. Already had their ranks been thinned by thefire of the revolvers, but those who had at first retreated now began toreturn and take the places of those who had been shot down. At lastFrank's revolver was empty. He had another in his pocket, but could notget an opportunity to draw it. He must now depend upon his saber. Grasping it with both hands, he bravely met the attack of the leader ofthe guerrillas, who had succeeded in working his way in front of him. The latter's heavy sword descended with terrible force. Frank's guardwas broken down, and he was sent reeling to the floor. The rebel againraised his sword, and, as Frank was entirely unarmed, he gave himself upfor lost. One thought of home, of his mother and sister, flashed throughhis mind, and then he saw the bright blade swiftly descending. It wasmet, however, by the coxswain, who seeing the danger of his officer, interposed his own sword, and turned the rebel's weapon aside. Frank wason his feet again in an instant, and seeing a musket, with a bayonetattached, standing in the corner, he seized it with a shout of joy. Ifthere was any thing he thoroughly understood, it was thebayonet-exercise. He remembered that the knowledge of it had once savedhis life, and he had never let an opportunity to perfect himself in itpass unimproved. He now felt safe; and seeing the coxswain graduallyretreating before the furious attacks of the guerrilla chief, he sprangforward, and with one blow sent the sword flying from his hand and borehim to the floor. This move was seconded by Archie, who sprang to hiscousin's side with a revolver in each hand, firing right and left amongthe rebels, who, dismayed at the fall of their leader, began to retreat. But so closely were they followed, that escape was impossible. Thechief, after trying in vain to regain his feet, and seeing the bayonetpointed straight at his breast, shouted most lustily for quarter. 

"Surrender!" shouted the major. "Throw down your arms!"

The rebels having lost more than half of their number, and knowing thedeadly effects of the revolvers which were aimed at their heads, gladlycomplied, and the fight was at an end. 

Although Frank and his companions had heard the order, "No quarter tothe Yankees!" the thought of taking vengeance upon those who, had theybeen the victors, would have shown no mercy, never once entered theirheads--they were more humane. 

With the surrender of the rebels the object of the expedition had beenaccomplished--the guerrilla chief was their prisoner!

CHAPTER XIII. 

Tom the Coxswain. 

Now that the excitement was over, and Frank began to think more calmly, he found that he was wounded. The blow which had broken down his guardhad spent its force on his head, which was bleeding profusely from along, ragged cut. His face and clothing were covered with blood, but thewound had caused him no inconvenience. After Archie had bandaged it withhis handkerchief, Frank began to look about him. The force of the rebelshad originally consisted of fifteen men, of whom eight were lying, either dead or wounded, upon the floor. He could scarcely believe hiseyes, and wondered how he and his companions had ever secured a victoryagainst such heavy odds. Had the rebels, instead of relying upon theirsabers and the superiority of their numbers, made use of the firearmsthat during the fight had become scattered about the hall, the resultwould have been far different. The fight, although a most severe onewhile it lasted, was not of more than five minutes' duration, and duringthat time eight rebels had been disabled, and six captured by fourdetermined men; one only had escaped. As Archie afterward said, in aletter to his father, "It was the biggest _little_ fight" he wasever engaged in. 

"Now, boys, " said the major, as soon as he had satisfied himself thatthe remaining rebels were disarmed, "we've no time to lose. Paymaster, you and the coxswain station yourselves in those doors, and keep a goodlook-out, to prevent surprise. Captain, we will secure these prisoners. "

One of the blankets that lay on the floor was speedily cut into strips, and with these the rebels, one after the other, were bound hand andfoot. While this was going on, the leader of the guerrillas stoodleaning against the wall, no doubt looking into the future, andpondering upon the punishment which, according to his own barbarous modeof warfare, he was certain would be meted out to him. He well knew whatcourse _he_ would have pursued, had he been the victor instead ofthe prisoner, and, judging his captors by himself, he fully expected aspeedy and terrible vengeance to be taken upon him. As these thoughtspassed through his mind, he determined to make one bold effort atescape. Hastily glancing toward the door, where Archie stood looking upand down the road, he suddenly sprang forward, and giving him a violentpush, that sent him headlong upon the portico, he jumped down the steps, and started for the gate at the top of his speed; but before he had gonehalf the distance, he was overtaken by the coxswain and thrown to theground. The sailor, instead of standing in the door, in his eagerness, as he expressed it, to "ketch the first glimpse of any guerrilla craftthat might be sailin' about, " had come round to the front of the housejust as the rebel had made his attempt to escape. Archie sprang to hisfeet and ran to the assistance of the coxswain, and by the time Frankand the major arrived, the rebel, who struggled most desperately, hadbeen overpowered, and his hands bound behind his back. In a few momentsmore the prisoners were all secured, and, after a horse had been caughtand saddled, the guerrilla placed upon it, his hands still bound, andthe coxswain was ordered to take charge of him. The dead and wounded, together with the other prisoners, were left in the house, the doors ofwhich were closed and fastened. They would, no doubt, soon be relievedby their friends, for the rebel who had escaped would, of course, procure assistance as soon as possible. 

As soon as the major had satisfied himself that every thing was readyfor the start, he mounted his horse and led the way down the road. Itwas now broad daylight, and their first thought was to place a safedistance between themselves and the scene of the fight, and then halt inthe woods until night, when they would return to the vessel. But if thisplan was adopted, it would give the guerrillas, who, of course, wouldhasten to the rescue of their leader, time to get between them and theriver, in which case their capture was certain. Frank, who believed thatevery instant of time was valuable, and who delighted in dashingexploits, was in favor of returning at once to the vessel. Their horseswere comparatively fresh, and, if they rode rapidly, they could makegood their retreat before a sufficient force could be collected topursue them. The major and Frank talked over these different plans asthey rode along side by side, and the latter course was finally adopted. It was at once communicated to the others, and they pushed forward withall possible speed. Frank and the major rode in front, followed by thecoxswain, who held fast to the horse which their prisoner rode, andArchie brought up the rear. In this manner they dashed along, passingseveral plantation-houses, whose inmates ran to the doors and gazed atthem in astonishment. Half a dozen miles were passed over in this waywithout stopping, except to water their horses, and without seeing asingle armed rebel, and Frank began to hope that the dangerous part ofthe undertaking was passed. If attacked by a superior force, the chanceswere that they would not only lose their prisoner, whose capture hadbeen effected in so gallant a manner, but also their own liberty, andthe thought of the treatment they would receive, judging by the orderthe guerrilla chief had given his men at the commencement of the fight, was enough to nerve them to make the greatest exertions to effect theirescape. They had reloaded their pistols, the effective use of which hadgained them a victory over almost four times their number, and Frank andArchie carried the shot-gun and carbine which they had found attached tothe saddles of their horses, ready for instant use. 

The rapid pace at which they were traveling had, at the end of an hour, put half a dozen miles more between them and the house where the fighthad taken place, and they began to hope that, if they were followed atall, they were leaving the enemy behind. At length they came to a placewhere the road ran through a deep ravine, the sides of which werethickly covered with trees and bushes. They dashed along, their horseshoofs ringing loud and clear on the hard road, but as they came suddenlyaround a bend, almost before they were aware of it, they had run intothe very midst of a small band of rebels, who were traveling as rapidlyas themselves. They were not entirely unprepared for this encounter. Although they had hoped that they might be able to avoid it, they hadheld themselves in readiness for it, while the rebels, being taken bysurprise, scattered in every direction, as if fully expecting to see awhole army of Federals close at their heels. As they dashed by, Frankfired both barrels of his gun, which emptied more than one saddle, andthe others had just time to follow with a volley from their revolvers, when another bend in the road hid them from sight. It was quickly done. Before the rebels had time to think twice, the danger was over. Theenemy had met them, sent three of their number to the ground, anddisappeared as rapidly as they had come. But the rebels did not remainlong inactive. They quickly satisfied themselves that those who had justpassed were not the advance-guard of an army, as they had at firstsupposed, and presently the officers heard the clatter of hoofs behindthem, accompanied with loud yells, and knew that the guerrillas hadcommenced the pursuit. Although, as we have said, the rebels had but asmall force, they still greatly outnumbered Frank's party, and nothingbut the most rapid flight could save them. Frank's only fear was thattheir pursuers would come in sight of them, and begin to pick them offat long range with their carbines, a proceeding which nothing but thenumerous windings in the road prevented. 

"If we do not get into a scrimmage, boys, " said the major, speaking ascalmly as though he was at that very moment safe in the cabin of theBoxer, "we must stick together, if possible; but if they come on us in aheavy force, we must separate and every man take care of himself. "

"Oh, you needn't look so mighty pleased, Johnny!" exclaimed thecoxswain, addressing himself to his prisoner, who now looking upon hisrescue as beyond a doubt, could not repress a smile of triumph. "Shivermy timbers! you're not loose yet. You're just as safe here as though youwere in the brig [Footnote: The brig is a small dark apartment in thehold of a vessel, in which culprits are confined. ] and in double irons. Look as mad as you please, Johnny, " he continued, as the guerrillascowled savagely upon him, "a man who has smelt powder in a'most everybattle fought on the Mississippi River an't often skeered by looks. "

The major had, several times during the retreat, cautioned the coxswainto keep a fast hold of his prisoner, and not to allow him to escapeunder any circumstances. But Frank, who knew his man, had never thoughtthe caution necessary. He had often seen the sailor in action on boardship, and the gallant manner in which he had saved his officer's lifeduring the fight at the house, had fully satisfied the young commanderthat the coxswain was not the man to shrink from his duty because it wasdangerous. His reply to the major had been:

"If this Johnny rebel an't safe in the brig tonight, sir, then CaptainNelson will have to make a new cox'son for the first cutter, an' anothercap'n for that number two gun. I'll either take him safe through, orI'll never hear the bo'son pipe to dinner ag'in. "

All this while they had been tearing along the road as fast as theirhorses could carry them, but rapidly as they went, the sounds of pursuitgrew louder, and the yells fiercer and more distinct, showing that theguerrillas were gaining on them. Suddenly they emerged from the woods, and found before them a long, straight road, with broad fields on eachside. Before they could pass this, the rebels would certainly come insight, and, if they did not overtake them, they would at least open fireon them with their carbines. 

Frank gradually drew in his horse and fell back beside his cousin. Archie was deadly pale, but he sat firmly on his horse and handled hiscarbine with a steady hand. 

"Archie, " said he, "you and I must cover the retreat of the others. Don't waste your ammunition now. "

They had accomplished perhaps a quarter of the distance across the roadwhen the foremost of their pursuers came in sight. In an instant Archieturned in his saddle, and leaving his horse to pick out his own road, heraised his gun to his shoulder and fired. A moment afterward a riderlesshorse was rearing and plunging about among the rebels, throwing theminto confusion. This was the time for Frank, and he discharged bothbarrels of his gun in quick succession. The buckshot must have doneterrible execution, for when the smoke cleared away, they saw the rebelsretreating to the cover of the bushes. One, more daring than the rest, lingered a moment, to fire his carbine, and the fugitives heard thebullet sing through the air above their heads. 

Although they were not more than five minutes crossing the road andentering the woods on the opposite side, it seemed an age to them, andthey had scarcely reached the cover of the trees, when the rebels againcoming in sight, fired a scattering volley after them, which rattledthrough the trees and sent a shower of leaves and twigs about them. Theguerrillas then continued the pursuit as fiercely as ever, every timethey came in sight firing their carbines, which Archie answered witheffect; but they wisely kept out of range of the buck-shot in Frank'sdouble-barrel. 

Hour after hour the chase continued, the guerrillas every time theyappeared having their ranks thinned by Archie's unerring rifle, untilfinally the fugitives heard a sound that told them in plain languagethat their danger was yet by no means passed. A whole chorus of hoarseyells arose from the depths of the woods, showing that their pursuershad received heavy reinforcements, and were urging forward their horsesto overtake them, But the river was not more than two miles distant, andas the rebels were fully a quarter of a mile behind, they were confidentthey would yet escape, if their horses could hold out fifteen minuteslonger. For some time past this had been their only fear. The rapid pacewas telling on the animals severely, and Frank's horse especially beganto show signs of distress, the young commander having several times beenobliged to use the point of his saber to compel him to keep pace withthe others. The rebels gained rapidly, and presently, just as thefugitives emerged from the woods, in full view of the river, they couldhear the tramping of their horses behind them. Before them was a clearspace of fully a mile in extent, that must be crossed before theyreached the river, and their pursuers might overtake and capture themwithin sight of their vessel. Presently several men were seen runningabout on the deck of the Boxer, and then a puff of smoke arose from oneof the ports, and a shell went shrieking over their heads and burst inthe woods. 

The crew of the vessel, in obedience to Frank's orders, had kept a goodlook-out for them, and hearing the yells of the pursuing rebels, had atonce opened fire. When the smoke cleared away, Frank saw the crew of thegig hurrying to their places. The boat was lowered into the water, andpulled rapidly toward the shore. If they could but reach the bank of theriver they would be safe. At this moment the rebels appeared in sight, and a volley from their carbines sent the bullets about the fugitiveslike hail-stones. Frank turned in his saddle and fired one barrel of hisgun among them, and was about to give them the contents of the other, when his horse stumbled and fell, throwing him at full length on theground. Frank had been expecting this, and for the last half hour hadridden with his feet out of the stirrups, so that in case the accidentdid happen, he would not be entangled in the saddle. As it was, he wasthrown some distance in advance of the horse, which, too exhausted torise, lay panting on the ground. Frank, however, instantly recovered hisfeet, and was about to start after his companions, when he saw thecoxswain, with a knife in his hand, working desperately to free himselffrom the saddle of his own fallen horse. Frank at once sprang to hisassistance, and catching the knife from his hand, severed the strap thatconfined him, and set him at liberty. The coxswain, as soon as he hadregained his feet, ran up to the horse which the prisoner rode, andwhich had stopped the moment the sailor fell, and pulling the guerrillafrom the saddle, lifted him in his arms as though he had been an infant, and ran toward the boat. The rebels by this time were within easyrifle-range, and in spite of the shells that burst about them, seemeddetermined to effect the release of their leader, until one moreaccurately aimed than the others, exploded in their very midst, cuttingdown horses and riders with terrible slaughter; another and anotherfollowed, and when Frank and his companions stepped into the gig, therebels were in full retreat. When they arrived on board the vessel, thecoxswain delivered his prisoner to the master-at-arms, who ironed him, and lodged him safely in the brig. 

Their long ride had taxed their endurance to the utmost; but, by thenext day, they had fully recovered from their fatigue, and shortly afterdinner Frank ordered the officer of the deck to have all hands mustered. The crew speedily assembled on the quarter-deck, and among them stoodthe coxswain, who, at a motion from Frank, stepped out from among hiscompanions, holding his cap in his hand, and looking altogether like aman who expected "a good blowing up" for some grievous offense. But hesoon found that he was not to be reprimanded, for, to his utterastonishment, Frank proceeded to give the officers and crew a fullaccount of the fight at the house, speaking in the highest terms of theold sailor's bravery. He then addressed the coxswain, saying:

"Now, Tom, what can I do for you? What do you want? Would you like aleave of absence, to go home and visit your friends?"

"Avast heavin' there, Cap'n Nelson, if you please!" answered thecoxswain, hastily. "I was brought up on board a man-o'-war, sir, " hecontinued, whirling his cap in his hand, "an' have follered the sea forgoin' nigh on to thirty-five year, but this is the first time I ever hadmy cap'n say, 'Thank ye, Tom, ' to me for doin' my duty. I an't the onlychap, sir, that wouldn't see harm come to you. There's many a man inthis crew that would have done the same thing, at the risk of his ownlife. As for home an' friends, sir, I have none. But, cap'n, there's onefavor I have thought of askin' you for. There's no gunner's-mate onboard this vessel, an' I think I can take charge of the magazine--don'tyou, sir?"

This was a small reward for a man to ask of the captain, who wouldgladly have granted him any favor in his power; but promotion on boardship, among the men, is given only to the most deserving, and the oldsailor made this request with a timidity he had never shown before anenemy; and even after he had made it, he regarded his officer as thoughhe fully expected a refusal. But Frank, who could scarcely refrain fromsmiling at the man's earnest manner, turned to Archie and said:

"Paymaster, please rate Thomas Willis on your books as gunner's-matefrom the time the other mate was discharged. "

This was something more than the coxswain had expected. The formergunner's-mate had been discharged from the service nearly two monthsbefore, and this gave the old sailor a considerable amount of back pay. Frank had delayed the appointment of a gunner's-mate, not because he didnot need one, but because there were many good men among his crew, andhe wished to give the appointment to the most deserving, and thus makepromotion something worth working for. Frank then dismissed the men, whoreturned to the lower deck, fully satisfied in their own minds that"Cap'n Nelson was the best man any crew ever sailed under. "

CHAPTER XIV. 

A Rebel Trick. 

The next day Frank and the major made out their reports of theexpedition. The former's, as usual, was short and to the point, conveying, in a few lines, the information that their object had beenaccomplished. He described the fight in the house as a "short skirmish, "and made it appear that their success was owing to the gallant behaviorof the major, Archie, and the coxswain. In fact, one, to have read thereport, would have supposed that Frank had been merely a looker-on, instead of one of the principal actors. But the major went more intodetails, and the part Frank had taken in the fight was described inglowing language, and his bravery highly complimented. While thusengaged, the orderly entered the cabin and reported a small party ofrebels approaching with a flag of truce. Frank went on deck, and sawseveral men galloping toward the vessel, waving a white flag, to attracttheir attention. When they reached the top of the bank, they dismountedfrom their horses, and appeared to be waiting for some one to comeashore. 

For some moments, Frank was undecided how to act. He remembered that hehad once been sent on shore with a flag of truce which had not beenrespected, he having been detained a prisoner, and he did not like theidea of receiving a white flag from men whom he knew would not respectit themselves; besides, he had received no orders in regard tocommunicating with the rebels, and he did not know whether he had aright to do so or not. 

"Well, major, what do you think of this, sir?" he asked, turning towardthe scout, who stood close at his side. 

"It's a trick of some kind, captain, " replied the latter. "Depend uponit, it's a trick. "

"If that is so, " said Frank, "I will try and find out what it is. " Then, raising his voice, he called out, "What do you want out there?"

"I want to come on board, " shouted one of the rebels, in reply. "I wantto see the captain. "

"Well, speak out; you can't come on board. What do you want?"

The rebels consulted together for a few moments, and then one of themreplied:

"We have a Yankee prisoner, and want to exchange him for Captain Thorne. If you will let one of us come on board, perhaps we can make somearrangements with you. "

"You can't come on board, " shouted Frank, "that's settled. But where'syour prisoner?"

"Out in the woods, under guard. "

"They've got no prisoner, captain, " said the major. "All they want is tosee the inside of your vessel, and find out how many men and guns youhave. "

"Well, they'll have to go away without accomplishing their object, " saidFrank. "I can't make any arrangements for an exchange, " he shouted, "until I see your prisoner. "

The rebels lingered a moment, as if in consultation, and then mountedtheir horses and rode away. Every one who had heard the conversationlaughed at the idea of attempting to deceive Captain Nelson with soshallow a trick, and the circumstance was soon forgotten by all exceptFrank, who knew that the guerrillas would not abandon their projectsimply because their first attempt had failed. Although he made noremark, he resolved to be doubly vigilant, and to be ready for anyemergency. 

Two days afterward the dispatch-boat came alongside, on her way up theriver, and the major took passage on her for Cairo. 

"I'm sorry to be obliged to leave you, captain, " said he, as he stoodready to start, "for, if I am not very much mistaken, you'll have livelytimes here before long. The rebels are up to something, depend upon it. Don't let them catch you off your guard. Good luck to you!"

It was lonesome in the cabin after the major left, for he was a goodcompanion, and both Frank and Archie had become very much attached tohim. 

The dispatch-boat had scarcely left the Boxer, when the officer of thedeck reported a canoe approaching. It came from up the river, and, bythe aid of the spy-glass, they discovered that it contained two men andwas loaded with vegetables. It was customary for gun-boats to purchasesuch provisions as they needed from the people who lived along thebanks, and in some places market-boats were received regularly everyday. The men were paid, either in money, or, as they generallypreferred, in coffee, flour, or sugar, from the paymaster's store-rooms;but this was the first time the Boxer had ever been visited, and thiscircumstance, taken in connection with the flag of truce, made Franksuspicious. 

"Shall we allow them to come alongside, sir?" asked the officer of thedeck. 

"Yes, " replied Frank, who had already determined upon his plans, "allowthem to come on board, if they wish to do so;" and here he gave theofficer a few rapid orders, which the latter hurried below to execute. The Boxer had a full crew of sixty-five men, who were in an admirablestate of discipline; but Frank had sent the officer below to order themost of the men into the hold, out of sight, and to remove the smallarms about the deck. The major's warning was still ringing in his ears, and the young commander could not rid himself of the impression that themarket men who were now approaching were in some way connected withguerrillas. If it was a trick, he resolved to help it along. As the boatapproached, it was hailed by the sentinel on the fore-castle, who askedthe men their business, and was informed that they had "garden truck"which they wanted to "swap for sugar, flour, an' sich like. "

The men were then permitted to come alongside, and one of them was atonce conducted into the cabin, where a bargain was soon concluded, Frankagreeing to take the whole boatload of vegetables, and to give the mantwo pounds of flour, three pounds of sugar, and six pounds of coffee. The young commander was now fully satisfied that the only object of themen in visiting the vessel was not to dispose of their vegetables, forthe man rather overdid his part. He gazed with open mouth at every thinghe saw, in regular country style, but it was not natural, most of hiswonder, as Archie expressed it, being "put on. " The latter went below toorder his steward to procure the provisions, and the man inquired--

"Will yer let a feller look about a leetle? This is the fust time I wasever on a gun-boat. "

"Certainly, " replied Archie, who had received his instructions fromFrank; "look about all you please;" and while the steward was weighingthe coffee and sugar, he accompanied the man about the vessel. Therewere not more than a dozen sailors on deck, and most of these appearedto be asleep. 

"Be these all the fellers you-uns hev got?" asked the man. 

"What's the use of having any more?" replied Archie. "There's no dangerhere. "

"That's so, " was the answer; "I haint seed a rebel round for more 'n sixmonths, dog-gone if I hev. "

The man walked slowly about the deck, carefully examining every thing hesaw, and acting altogether like a backwoodsman who had never seen agun-boat before. Finally, he said:

"I've heered as how all these 'ere boats hev got hot water; has yourn?"

"Oh, yes, we've got plenty of hot water, but it takes an hour to screwthe hose on, so that we can use it. "

By this time the provisions were ready, and the market men took theirdeparture, expressing themselves fully satisfied that it wouldn't be a"healthy job" for any rebels to attempt the capture of the Boxer, andpromising to be on hand the next day but one with more "garden truck. "

As soon as their boat was out of sight, the hatches were raised, thecrew poured up out of the hold, and in a short time the Boxer's deckpresented its usual appearance of neatness and order. Frank's object hadbeen accomplished, for the market men had gone away satisfied thattwenty determined men could easily effect the capture of the gun-boat, and they seemed determined to make the most of what they had seen. Gaines's Landing had been a regular mail station, and the rebels hadonly been deterred from sending it across the river by the presence ofthe Boxer. The market men, however, had discovered, as they supposed, that the vessel was but poorly manned, and this being communicated totheir leader, (for, as Frank had suspected, they belonged to aregularly-organized band of guerrillas, ) the latter determined todispatch his mail at once. 

That night, about ten o'clock, as Frank and Archie sat in the cabinreading, the orderly reported that lights were seen moving about onshore. This was something unusual, and when Frank had watched the lightfor a moment, he came to the conclusion that the rebels were making somemovements, the nature of which he was, of course, unable to determine;but he resolved, if possible, to find out what was going on, and turningto the officer of the deck, ordered the cutter to be called away andfurnished with an armed crew. This order was speedily and quietlyexecuted, and when the boat was ready, Frank and his cousin stepped intoit, and were pulled noiselessly up the river. The place where the lightshone was about half a mile from the vessel, and when they came oppositeto it, the crew rested on their oars, giving only an occasional stroketo keep the cutter from floating down the stream, and waited impatientlyfor the rebels to show themselves. 

The light, which gleamed from the shore opposite to the town, seemed tocome from a dark lantern, for it would blaze up brightly for a moment, and then disappear. Presently an answering light was shown from theshore nearest to them, when Archie whispered--

"There's a boat coming!"

Frank listened, and could hear the slow, measured strokes of oars, whichgrew louder and louder as the boat approached. It seemed to be headingdirectly toward them, and in a few moments more it could be dimly seen, moving through the darkness. 

"Give way together!" commanded Frank, and the cutter, propelled bytwelve oars, shot alongside the approaching boat, and the sailors seizedthe gunwale and held her fast. Resistance was useless. Three rebelsquietly delivered up their weapons, and one large, well-filled mail-bagwas stowed away under the stern sheets of the cutter. The prisoners weretaken on board the Boxer, and delivered into the charge of themaster-at-arms, while their boat, a leaky affair, requiring constantbailing to keep it afloat, was unceremoniously allowed to sink. Thelight on the opposite shore was still shown, now at shorter intervals, as if the persons who were managing it had begun to grow impatient. Thiswas the source of much merriment among the sailors, who hoped the"rebels would not grow tired of waiting for their mail. "

The next day the Manhattan again came up the river, and, as sheapproached, made signals for Frank to go on board of her. The gig wascalled away, and taking the reports of the expedition the young officerand his prisoners shortly stood in the presence of Captain Wilson, who, as soon as he had secured the prisoners, conducted Frank into the cabin. The latter, after presenting his reports, proceeded to give the captaina history of the expedition which had resulted in the capture of theguerrilla chief, of the interview with the flag of truce, and of themanner in which he had deceived the market men and captured the mail, upon hearing which the captain sprang from his chair, and giving Frank ahearty slap on the back, exclaimed:

"Well done, sir! well done! Then you are not entirely unprepared to hearwhat I have to tell you. I picked up a runaway darkey yesterday, whoinforms me that the rebels are making preparations to capture theBoxer!"

"I knew something was going on, sir, " replied Frank, "and if that iswhat they are up to, they will not find me unprepared. "

"Well, that is what they intend to do. They have been building two largeboats, into which they are going to put a sufficient force to overpoweryou. The attempt is to be made on Wednesday night. Of course, they hopeto be able to take you by surprise. This contraband I picked up says heworked on the boats, and that they will hold about forty men each. Ishall not be far off when the fight takes place, although I do notsuppose you will need any assistance. "

The two officers then began an examination of the mail, in hopes itwould throw some further light upon the movements of the guerrillas; butmost of the letters were unofficial, and not a word was said about theproposed attempt to capture the Boxer. 

At the end of an hour, Frank returned on board his vessel, and theManhattan steamed down the river toward her station. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Honorably Discharged. 

When Frank reached the Boxer, he sent for the executive officer, toldhim of what he had heard, and also laid before him the plans he hadadopted to defeat the rebels, which met the hearty approval of thatgentleman. Frank did not think it best to delay putting the vessel in astate of defense, for the rebels might make the attempt at any time; sohe instructed the executive officer to see that the men were kept undercover, so that the rebels, if any were on the watch, might not be ableto judge of their numbers. When hammocks were piped that night, not morethan a dozen men answered the call, and when bedtime came, the sailorsstretched themselves out on deck, ready to take their posts at amoment's warning. The guns were all carefully loaded, the hot-water hosegot ready for use, and the anchor fixed so that it could be slipped inan instant. Outside, the appearance of the vessel was not changed, theonly thing noticeable being the quantity of smoke that came out of herchimneys. At eight o'clock Frank inspected the boat, and after seeingthat every man was in his place, he lay down on the sofa in the cabin, without removing his clothes, and fell asleep. When he awoke, he aroseand went on deck, just as the ship's bell was striking midnight. It wasvery dark, and the only sound that broke the stillness was the splashingof the wheels of a steamer as she went on her way up the river. For anhour he remained on deck, listening, but without hearing any thingsuspicious until just as he was about to return to the cabin. He hadstarted down the stairs, when he heard a slight splashing ahead of thevessel, like a heavy oar dipped carefully into the water. He listened amoment, and the sound was repeated. 

"There they are! They're coming, sure!" said Archie, who stood at hiscousin's side. 

"Yes, sir, " said Tom, the gunner's-mate, who, in his eagerness to be thefirst to announce the approach of the rebels, had remained on deckduring the whole night. "That's them, sir!"

"Tell the officer of the deck to call all hands to quarters as quietlyas possible, " said Frank. 

The officer ran below, and the young commander heard the sound again, still faint, but nearer and more distinct than the others. It was wellthat he had not put off his preparations to receive the rebels, for theywere certainly approaching. Presently the pilots came up and took theirstations at the wheel, and a moment afterward the executive officer cameup and reported the crew ready for action. So quietly had the men beenaroused, that Frank had not heard them as they moved to their stations. Nearer and nearer came the sound of oars, and suddenly a large flatboat, crowded with men, loomed up through the darkness. 

"On deck, there!" whispered Frank, leaning over the rail and speaking toa sailor on the forecastle. "Slip that anchor. "

There was the rattling of a chain as this order was executed, and as theman sprang through one of the ports, a sheet of flame covered theforecastle, and two twenty-four pound shells went crashing and shriekingamong the rebels. 

The pilots rang the bell for the engineers to "come ahead, " and as theBoxer turned out into the river, thus bringing her broadside guns tobear on the boat, two more shells completed the ruin. The rebels werecaught in their own trap. Their boat was sinking, half their numbereither dead or wounded, and all who were able to swim were springinginto the water and making for the nearest shore. 

It was so dark Frank could not see the havoc that had been made amongthe guerrillas, and he was about to give them another broadside, when heheard loud cries for quarter. That boat was disposed of, and he turnedto look for the other, (for Captain Wilson had said there were two ofthem, ) but it was not to be seen. As he afterward learned, theguerrillas, having been completely deceived as to the force of theBoxer, had crowded sixty men into one boat, thinking that forcesufficient to insure an easy victory. After running up the river nearlya mile without seeing any signs of the boat, the Boxer returned to herstation, and found the rebel craft hard and fast aground. Her deck wascovered with dead and wounded, and Frank at once turned his attention totaking care of the latter. Twenty-three wounded guerrillas were conveyedon board the vessel, and delivered into the charge of the doctor and hissteward, together with nearly a dozen prisoners, who, being unable toswim, had not dared to leave the boat. The dead were left where they hadfallen. The Boxer then returned to her anchorage, and Frank, feelingsafe for the remainder of the night, ordered hammocks to be piped, acommand which the sailors gladly obeyed, for their soft mattresses weremuch more comfortable than the hard deck. By the time every thing hadbeen restored to order, the quarter-master reported the Manhattanapproaching. Frank answered her signals, and as she came alonside, Captain Wilson sprang on board. 

"How is it, captain?" he inquired, as Frank met him at the gangway. "Mercy!" he exclaimed, as he entered the door and saw the wounded rebelslying in rows on the deck. "Lively while it lasted, wasn't it? How manymen have you lost?"

"None, sir, " replied Frank. "If the rebels fired a shot at us, I don'tknow it. "

"When I heard the firing, " continued the captain, "I was afraid you hadneglected to make preparations to receive them, and had got yourselfinto a bad scrape. But I see you are able to take care of yourself. "

The captain then returned on board his vessel, which moved out into theriver and came to anchor at a short distance from the Boxer, while Frankretired to his room and fell asleep, well satisfied with his night'swork. 

Early the next morning, a single rebel appeared on the bank, with a flagof truce, and a boat being sent out from the Manhattan, he was conveyedon board that vessel. In a short time, however, it returned and set therebel on board the Boxer. 

"I want permission to bury our dead, " said the guerrilla, on being showninto the cabin. 

"You must see Captain Wilson about that, " replied Frank. "I have noauthority while he is here. "

"I have just been to see him, " replied the rebel, "and he sent me toyou. He says you command this station. "

This was a compliment seldom paid a young officer; but the fact was, Captain Wilson was so elated at Frank's success, that he determined totake every opportunity to make his approval known. The young commander, of course, granted the request, and soon after the Manhattan steameddown the river. 

About a week afterward, a tin-clad came up, and her captain came onboard the Boxer and presented Frank with written orders to report toCaptain Wilson without delay. 

"I expect, " said he, "that you will take my old station. If you do, youwill have your hands full, for boats are fired into every day; but, somehow, I was always at the wrong end of my beat to meet the rebels. "

When the captain had returned on board his vessel, the Boxer got upsteam, and, in obedience to her orders, started down the river. Theyfound Captain Wilson the next day, and Frank was assigned a new station. His beat was about five miles in length, and was a noted place forguerrillas. Steamboat captains dreaded to pass it, for their boats werefired into, and often badly cut up. The rebels had a battery of threeguns, with which they were constantly dodging from one point to another, always taking good care, however, to keep out of reach of the gun-boats. On the second day Frank arrived at his station, and while running idlyabout--for his orders from Captain Wilson were to "keep moving"--asteamer passed them on her way up the river, and Frank ordered the pilotto round-to and follow her. The order was obeyed, but they had not gonemore than half a mile, when a battery, mounted on a point which ran forsome distance out into the river, opened on the steamer. The Boxer wasat that moment behind the point and out of sight of the rebels, who, however, were soon made aware of her presence; for they had scarcelyfired two rounds before a shell dismounted one of their guns. Theirsurprise was complete, and abandoning their battery, they ran into thewoods for protection. The Boxer rounded the point, all the whileshelling the woods, and Frank, seeing the guns deserted, landed with hisvessel and secured them. That guerrilla station was, for the present, broken up. So thought Frank, who ordered the pilot to proceed up theriver until he found the Manhattan. The next day the battery wasdelivered up to Captain Wilson, who sent it by the dispatch-boat toMound City, which was then the naval station. 

From that time hostilities along the river gradually ceased. The Boxerfor nearly a year ran from one end of her beat to the other withoutencountering a single armed rebel. Then came the news of the glorioussuccess of the Army of the Potomac, followed by the intelligence of ageneral surrender of the rebel forces. The Boxer was dressed with flags, salutes fired, and officers and crew looked forward with impatience tothe time when they would be permitted to return home. At length came thelong expected order to report to the admiral at Mound City, where thereduction of the squadron was rapidly going on. 

Although Frank was impatient to see his quiet little home once more, hewas reluctant to part from his crew, whom, upon his arrival at thenavy-yard, he had received orders to discharge. One by one the sailorscame into the cabin, and the hearty grasp of their hands, and theearnest manner in which they wished their commander "plain sailingthrough life, " showed that their feelings were not unlike his own. 

One morning, upon inquiry at the navy-yard post-office, Frank waspresented with two official documents, which proved to be leaves ofabsence for himself and Archie for three months, "At the expiration ofthat time, " so read the document, "if your services, are no longerrequired, you will he honorably discharged from the navy of the UnitedStates. Acknowledge the receipt of this leave, and send your address tothe department. "

As soon as this order had been complied with, the cousins began to makepreparations to start for home. Their trunks had been packed severaldays before, in readiness for an immediate departure, and in three hoursafter the receipt of their leaves they had taken their seats in thetrain bound for Portland. The ride had never seemed so long, nor had thecars ever moved so slowly: but, in due time, they reached the city insafety. Frank remained but one day in Portland, for he was anxious toreach home. The "Julia Burton" still made her regular trips from Augustato Lawrence, and on the third day he reached the village. Brave was thefirst to welcome him as he stepped out of the hack that had conveyed himfrom the wharf to the cottage, and not recognizing his master, muffledup as he was in his heavy overcoat, he stood at the gate, growlingsavagely, as if to warn him that he had ventured close enough. But oneword was sufficient. The faithful animal had not forgotten the sound ofthe familiar voice, and bounding over the fence, he nearly overpoweredhis master with caresses. 

The meeting with his mother and sister we shall not attempt to describe. Those who have passed through similar scenes can easily imagine that joyreigned supreme in that house. 

About a week after his arrival at home, Archie Winters and his parentsreached the village, the latter having "taken a holiday" in honor of theyoung paymaster's safe return. The cousins spent their furlough invisiting their old hunting and fishing-grounds, and in calling upontheir friends. George and Harry Butler had returned, the former with anempty sleeve, having lost his arm in the Battle of the Wilderness. Butall their companions had not been as fortunate as themselves. More thanone had been offered upon the altar of their country, and many afamiliar face was missing. 

At the expiration of their three months' leave, Frank and Archiereceived their honorable discharges from the service, the sight of whichrecalled vividly to their minds many a thrilling scene through whichthey had passed. How changed the scene now from that when they had firstbid adieu to their homes, to join the ranks of their country'sdefenders! "Then a gigantic rebellion was in progress; armed mensentineled each other from Virginia to the Rio Grande; and the land wasfilled with the crash of contending armies. Now, the rebel forces arevanquished, their banner in the dust; the slave empire that was to riseupon the ruins of the Republic is itself in ruins; and the soldiers andsailors of the Union, returning their weapons to the arsenals, haveexchanged their honored blue for the citizen's garb, and resumed theirpeaceful avocations, as modest and unassuming as though they had neverperformed the deeds of valor that have filled the whole civilized worldwith wonder. "

Frank and Archie are proud of the part they have borne in the war of theRebellion, and will never forget their varied and eventful experience inthe MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON.