Si Klegg, Book 5

by John McElroy

  CHAPTER XVIII. NO PEACE FOR SI AND SHORTY

  THE YOUNGSTERS KEEP THEM BUSY WHILE THE TRAIN MOVES SOUTH.

  THE long fast had sharpened the zest the boys had for their first"soldier-breakfast." Until they got down to "real soldier-living" theycould not feel that they were actually in the service. To have thisformal initiation in the historic city of Nashville, far in the interiorof the Southern Confederacy, was an exhiliarating event. The coarse farebecame viands of rare appetency.

  "Gracious, how good these beans taste," murmured Harry Joslyn, callingfor a second plateful; "never knowed beans to taste so good before.Wonder how they cook 'em? We'll have to learn how, Gid, so's to cook 'emfor ourselves, and when we git back home won't we astonish our mothersand sisters?"

  "And sich coffee," echoed Gid. "I'll never drink cream in my coffeeagin. I hadn't no idee cream spiled coffee so. Why, this coffee's thebest stuff I ever drunk. Beats maple sap, or cider through a straw,all holler. That's good enough for boys. This 's what men and soldiersdrink."

  "You know those old gods and goddesses," put in Montmorency Scruggs, apale, studious boy, for shortness called "Monty," and who had a greatlikeness for ancient history and expected to be a lawyer, "drunk whatthey called nectar. Maybe it was something like this."

  "But we haven't had any hardtack yet," complained Albert Russell, ayouth somewhat finicky as to dress, and who had ambitions of becominga doctor. "They've only given us baker's bread, same as we got on theother side of the river, only better-tasting. Why don't they give us realsoldier bread? I've heard Uncle Bob laugh at the 'soft-bread snoozers,'who never got near enough the front to know the taste of hardtack."

  "Well, I'm going to eat all I can of it while I can get it," said littlePete Skidmore, the youngest and smallest of the lot, who had only passedthe Mustering Officer by exhibiting such a vehement desire to enter theservice as to make up for his probable lack of years and quite evidentlack of inches. "I've heard Uncle Will say that he was always mightyglad to get back where he could get soft bread for a change, after he'dworn his grinders down to the quick chawing hardtack. It tastes awfulgood, anyway."

  "The Government must pay big wages to the men it hires to do itscooking," philosophized Harry Joslyn, "same as it does to its lawyersand Congressmen and Generals. No common men could cook grub that way.Mebbe it took the cooks away from the Astor House and Delmonico's."

  "The boys are certainly making up for lost time," complacently remarkedShorty, as, having taken off the edge of his own hunger with a platefulof pork-and-beans and a half loaf of bread, he stopped for a momentto survey the havoc that his young charges, ranged at a long, roughcounter, were making in the Commissary stores. "They're eatin' as ifthis was the last square meal they expected to git till the rebellion'sput down."

  "Yes," laughed Si, emptying his second cup of coffee, "I used to thinkthat we had appetites that'd browse a five-acre lot off clean everymeal, but these kids kin distance us. If they live off the country itsbones 'll be picked mighty white when they pass. That lean, lank GidMackall seems to be as holler as a sassidge-skin. Even that wouldn'tgive room for all that he's stowin' away."

  "Harry Joslyn 's runnin' nose-and-nose with him. There ain't the widtho' their forelocks difference. Harry's yelled for more beans at the samesecond that Gid has. In fact, not one of 'em has lagged. They're a greatgang, I tell you, but I wouldn't want to board any one of 'em for sixbits a week."

  Maj. Oglesvie came up.

  "Serg't Klegg," said he, "the Quartermaster says that he's got a trainload of ammunition to send forward, but he's scarce of guards. I thoughtof your squad. Don't you think you could take charge of it? I don'timagine there is much need of a guard, for things have been prettyquiet down the road for some weeks. Still, it isn't right to send off soimportant a train without any protection."

  "Only be too glad of the dooty, sir," answered Si, saluting. "It'llgive the boys something to think of besides hanging guerrillas. Besides,they're just crazy to git hold o' guns. Where kin I git muskets for'em?"

  "March them right over to that shed there," said the Major, "and theQuartermaster will issue them muskets and equipments, which you can turnover again when you reach Chattanooga. Good-by. I hope you'll have apleasant trip. Remember me to the boys of the old brigade and tell themI'll be with them before they start out for Atlanta."

  "Purty slouchy bizniss that, givin' these kids guns before they've hadany drill at all--don't know even the facin's, let alone the manual ofarms," remarked Shorty doubtfully, as they marched over to the shed."They'll be shooting holes through each others' heads and the tops o'the cars, and'll waste more ammynition than a six-mule team kin haul.They'll make a regler Fourth o' July from here to Chattynoogy."

  "Don't be worried about them boys," Si reassured him. "Every one of 'emis used to handlin' guns. Then, we kin keep the catridges ourselves andnot issue any till they're needed, which they mayn't be."

  The boys were in a buzz of delight at getting the guns they had solonged for, and Si's first duty was to end an exuberant bayonet fencingmatch between Gid and Harry which was imitated all along the line.

  "Stop that," he called. "Put your minds to learnin' to load and shootfirst. It'll be some time before you git a chance to prod a rebel with abayonet. Rebels are as wild as crows. You'll be lucky to git as close to'em as the other side of a 40-acre field."

  "But s'posin' a rebel runs at you with his bayonet," expostulated HarryJoslyn, "oughtn't you to know how to ward him off and settle him?"

  "The best way's to settle him jest as he comes over the hill,half-a-mile away, with an ounce o' cold lead put where he lives. That'lltake the pint offen his bayonet mighty certainly."

  Si and Shorty showed the boys how to put on the belts carrying the cap-and cartridge-boxes, and gave them a little dumb-show instruction inloading and firing, ending with exhibiting to them a cartridge, and themethod of tearing it with the teeth and putting it in the gun.

  "Now give us some catridges," clamored the boys, "and let us do somereal shooting."

  "No," said Si; "we'll keep the catridges ourselves, and issue them toyou when the enemy comes in sight."

  "Nice time to give out catridges then," grumbled Harry Joslyn. "When wesee the rebels we want to begin shootin' instid o' botherin' you withquestions. You wouldn't kill many coons if you had to run back to thehouse for your powder and lead after you saw the coon before you couldshoot him."

  "Well, you can't have no catridges now," said Si decisively. "We're notlikely to see any coons before we git to Murfreesboro. Then we'll seehow things look further down the road. Take off your bayonets, all o'you, and pile into them rear cars there. Stow yourselves around and beas comfortable as you kin."

  The boys preferred the tops of the cars to the inside, and scatteredthemselves along the length of the train to view the war-worn countryof which they had heard so much from their relatives who had campaignedthere. Si settled himself down in the car to read the morning paperswhich he had gotten in Nashville, and Shorty, producing a pack of newcards, began a studious practice, with reference to future operations inChattanooga.

  The train was slowing down for the bridge near Lavergne, when there camea single shot, followed by a splutter of them and loud yells.

  THERE WAS A CHORUS OF YELLS, AND THEN ANOTHER VOLLEY.247]

  Exceedingly startled, Si and Shorty sprang up, seized their guns,bounded to the door and looked out. They could see nothing to justifythe alarm. There was not a rebel, mounted or unmounted, in sight. In theroad below were two or three army teams dragging their slow way along,with their drivers yelling and laughing at a negro, whose mule wascareering wildly across the fenceless field. The negro had beenapparently jogging along, with a collection of plunder he had picked upin an abandoned camp strung upon his mule, when the latter had becomealarmed at the firing and scattered his burden in every direction. Therider was succeeding in holding on by clinging desperately to the mule'sneck.

  Si set his gun down and clambered up the sid
e of the car.

  "What's all that shootin' about?" he demanded of Harry Joslyn.

  "I didn't mean it, sir," Harry explained. "I was just aiming my gunat things I see along the road--just trying the sights like. Aturkey-buzzard lighted on a stump out there, and I guess I must haveforgot myself and cocked my gun, for it went off. Then Gid, seeing memiss, tried to show he was a better shot, and he banged away and missed,too, and then the other boys, they had to try their hands, and theybelted away, one after another, and they all missed. I guess we didn'tcount as we ougther've done on the goin' forward o' the train, becausewe all struck much nearer than we expected to that nigger on a mule, andscared his mule nigh out o' his skin. We really didn't intend no harm."

  "Where did you git catridges?" demanded Si.

  "Why, that box that Alf Russell got was half full. He tried to keep 'emall hisself, and intended to shoot 'em off, one by one, to make the restof us envious. Alf always was a pig in school, and never would dividehis apples or doughnuts with the other boys. But we see them almost asquick as he did, an' Gid and me set down on him suddently, as he waslying on the roof, and took away all his catridges, and give 'em aroundto the rest o' the boys, one a-piece."

  "Are they all gone now?"

  "Yes, sir; every one shot away," answered Harry regretfully.

  Si looked through several of the boxes and at some of the guns to assurehimself of this. He gave those near him a lecture on their offense, andthen climbed down into the car and resumed his paper, while Shortywas soon immersed again in the abstruse study of the relation of thecross-barred designs on the back of the cards to the numbers and suitsof their faces.

  They had passed Lavergne, and were approaching Stewart's Creek, whenanother startling rattle of musketry broke out, this time from theforepart of the train.

  "Now, great Scott, what's up?" said Si angrily, as he quickly surveyedthe surrounding country. He saw that they were not attacked, and thenclambered to the top of the car, where he noticed little wreaths ofpowder-smoke lingering around the squad in which were Jim Humphreys,little Pete Skidmore and Wes. Brown.

  "What're you young whelps shootin' for?" demanded Si. They were allso abashed at his sternness that they could not find their tongues forreply, until little Pete piped up:

  "Why we've bin talkin' to the train men, and they said they wuz shotat wunst, about a year ago, from that swamp back there, and we got somecatridges from them, and we thought we saw something moving in there,though Jim Humphreys said it wuz only burned stumps that we took formen, and them other boys back there had bin shootin' off their gunn andtryin' 'em, and we thought we could too--"

  "You little brats," said Si; "didn't you hear my orders about firin'before we started? If another boy shoots without my orders I'll tie himup by the thumbs! Got any more catridges? Give me every one of 'em."

  The boys all protested that every cartridge was gone. Si assured himselfof this by examination, savagely scored the train men for giving themammunition and threatened trouble if any more was, and having relievedhis mind returned to his paper in the caboose-car.

  The train ran on to a switch where there was another carrying a regimentgoing home on veteran furlough. Si and Shorty knew some of the men, andin the pleasure of meeting them and in hearing all the news from thefront forgot that their boys were mingling with the others and beingfilled full of the preposterous stories with which veterans delight tostuff new recruits. Finally the whistles gave notice that the trainswould move. Si got his boys back on the cars, and renewing his cautionabout taking care of themselves, holding on tightly and looking outfor overhanging branches, returned with Shorty to their car and theiroccupations.

  "We're comin' to Stewart's Crick, Shorty," said Si, looking up fromhis paper. "Recollect that hill ovyr there? That's where they had thatbattery that the Colonel thought we wuz goin' to git. Great Scott, themud and briars in that old field!" "Yes," said Shorty, negligently, withhis eyes fixed on the backs of the cards. "But that's ancient history.Say, I've got these marks down fine at last. They're just as plain asA, B, C. You see, when that corner o' the square comes out clear to theedge it's clubs, every time, and there's just as many spots as there isof lines--"

  He was interrupted by a volley, apparently from every gun on the roofsof the cars. Then a chorus of shrill, treble, boyish yells, and nextinstant another volley. The two sprang to the door and looked out. Nota sign of a rebel anywhere. Si went up one side of the car, Shortythe other. They ran along the tops of the cars, storming at the boys,kicking them and bumping their heads against the boards to make themstop. When they succeeded Si sternly ordered every one of them to leavethe roofs and come down into the cars. When he had gathered them therehe demanded:

  "Now, I want to know at once what this means?" Little Pete Skidmoreagain became the spokesman of the abashed crowd.

  "Why, them men back there on the switch cautioned us above all thingsnot to let the rebels git the drop on us when we come to that crick;that we wouldn't see nothin' of 'em--nothin' but a low bank, behindwhich they wuz hid, with their guns pokin' through the brush, but themoment we see the bank breastwork throwed up along the crick we must letinto it. That's what it's for. The rebels throwed it up to hide behind.Them men said that the brush back there was as full o' rebels as a houndo' fleas, and that we must let into 'em the moment we see the bank, orthey'd git the drop on us. They had an awful time there theirselves, andthey gave us all the catridges they had left for us to use."

  "You little numbskulls," said Si; "why didn't you come to use and tellus about this?"

  "They told us to be partickeler and say nothin' to you. Your stayin'back there in the car showed that you didn't know nothin' about it; youhadn't bin down this way for a long time and wasn't up to the latestimprovements, and you wuz jest as like as not to run us into a hornets'nest; that you wuzzent our real officers, anyway, and it didn't muchmatter to you what happened to us."

  "Our own sins are comin' back on us. Shorty," remarked Si. "This is ajudgment on you for the way you've filled up recruits at every chanceyou got."

  "'Taint on me," said Shorty, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not incommand. You are."

  "I shall be mighty glad when we git this outfit to Chattanoogy," sighedSi. "I'm gittin' older every minute that I have 'em on my hands."