“halt!” shouted the sentry. “corporal of the guard no. 1.”
“this is a regular game of ‘follow the leader,’ gordon,” said egan, looking back over his shoulder. “are you good at that?”
“i used to be,” answered don.
“they’ll be after us in less than no time,” continued the sergeant; “and as there are some splendid runners among the fellows, who will give us more than we want to do if they come up with us, our game must be to keep out of sight. we can’t run much further in this direction, for the river will stop us; so that the best thing we can do is——”
here egan turned like a flash and jumped as far as he could toward the middle of the creek. the water was deep enough to let him down out of sight, but he arose to the surface almost immediately, 216and struck out for the opposite shore. don was astonished, but he did not hesitate an instant to “follow his leader.” settling his cap firmly on his head, he dove from the bank, and swimming rapidly under the water, passed egan, much to that young gentleman’s surprise, and came up a long way ahead of him. a few long, steady strokes carried them across the stream, and while they were climbing out by the aid of the bushes that hung over the water, voices and footsteps sounded from the bank they had just left, and presently ejaculations indicative of the greatest amazement came to their ears, followed by ringing peals of laughter.
“ha! ha! ha! i say, you, egan—ha! ha! ha! and gordon—o, dear, o, dear! this will be the death of me, i just know—ha! ha! halt!” was the command that was shouted at them from the other side of the creek; and looking over their shoulders they saw on the bank a party of their pursuers, some of whom stamped about and flourished their arms over their heads as if they were fighting off a swarm of bumble-bees, while the others rolled on the ground or stood in a crouching attitude, holding their hands 217firmly against their sides. they were all convulsed with laughter, and the corporal who commanded the squad, and who thought he had never before seen so ludicrous a sight as the deserters presented in their dripping uniforms, was so completely overcome with merriment that he could not speak again. he stood there on the bank shaking his head and slapping his knees until egan and his companion disappeared in the woods.
“well, gordon, what do you think of the situation?” asked the sergeant, throwing himself flat on his back and holding his feet aloft so that the water could run out of his boots.
“i’m seeing lots of fun,” answered don, wiping the tears from his eyes; for he had laughed as heartily as any of the corporal’s men. “but do you think we can get through?”
“we must get through,” replied the sergeant, earnestly. “if we should be caught and taken back after what we have done, the boys never would quit joking us. that corporal is a good fellow to keep out of the way of. he’s as sharp as any detective, as fleet as an antelope, and if he once gets a grip on a deserter’s collar, he don’t let 218up. he’s a bad one, and if he isn’t recalled, he will follow us all over the country.”
“if he is as persevering as that, what’s the reason he did not swim the creek in pursuit of us?” asked don.
“he wouldn’t have made anything by it,” answered the sergeant, “and, besides, he wouldn’t care to go tramping about the country in his wet clothes. he will follow a better plan than that. he will cross at the bridge and go over to the main road and try to ambush us. you see if he don’t.”
having wrung a little of the water out of their clothes, don and his companion continued their flight, threading their way rapidly but cautiously through the thick woods; but before they had gone two hundred yards, the sergeant, who was acting as guide, stopped all on a sudden and pointed silently before him. don looked and saw that they had barely escaped running into an ambuscade that had been prepared for them. having crossed the creek at the bridge, corporal mack and his men had made the best of their way to the main road and were now hidden in the bushes on each side of it, awaiting the approach of the 219deserters. don could see their uniform caps, and he counted a dozen of them in all.
“mack knows that we are going to the show, and he will exert himself to the utmost to prevent it,” said the sergeant, after he and don had made a wide detour and safely passed the ambuscade. “we must hurry on now, for we are not safe so long as we wear these uniforms.”
it would have been much easier walking in the main road, which was in plain sight of them, but the sergeant dared not follow it, for he and don were in no condition, weighed down as they were by their wet clothing, to engage in a foot-race with the fleet and persevering corporal, who would be sure to see them the moment they came out of their concealment. so they kept to the bushes, and at the end of a quarter of an hour came to a halt in the rear of a snug little farm-house, which was the home of one asa peters, who had agreed, for a suitable consideration, to furnish them with disguises whenever they might stand in need of them. asa was chopping wood in the back yard, and egan had no difficulty in attracting his attention. hearing his name pronounced in a cautious tone, asa threw down his axe, and 220after looking all around to make sure that his movements were not observed, he climbed the fence and joined the deserters behind the smoke-house, where they had stopped for concealment. he was a stalwart young rustic with a red head, a peaked nose, and a freckled face—very homely, in short, but with a most exalted opinion of his personal appearance.
“i say, asa,” said egan, hurriedly. “we want those clothes now. is there any way for us to get into the house without being seen?”
asa leaned against the smoke-house and twirled his thumbs, but said nothing.
“what’s the matter?” asked egan, in some alarm. “you are not going back from your word, are you? you agreed to furnish each of us with a suit of your clothes for a dollar apiece, and we expect you to live up to your bargain.”
“wal,” drawled asa.“ you see—sally, she——”
he blushed and hesitated.
“well, go on; what about sally?” asked don, impatiently. “she doesn’t want to borrow your clothes, does she?”
“eh? no,” said asa, indignantly. “but she 221wants to go to the show, an’ how am i goin’ to take her when i aint got no duds to go in? that’s what’s been a botherin’ me. an’, you see, if i don’t take her, ’bijah sawin will.”
“well, let ’bijah have her,” said don.
“not by a long shot.”
asa glared savagely at don as he said this, and brought his fist down into his open palm with a sounding whack. the idea of allowing a rival to walk off with his sweetheart was not to be entertained for a moment. don looked blank; but egan, who had had dealings with asa before, thought he knew a sure road to his heart.
“now, asa,” said he, coaxingly, “listen to me for a moment. i know that sally is a beauty (egan had never seen the girl in his life), but there are plenty of others in the world who are just as handsome, and a dashing, good-looking young fellow like yourself can always take his pick.”
asa stroked the yellow down on his chin and grinned complacently.
“besides, we’ll make it worth your while to stick to your bargain,” continued egan, closely watching the effect of his words. “we will 222give you a dollar extra for the use of your clothes.”
asa opened his eyes and looked interested.
“we mean by that, a dollar extra for the use of each suit,” put in don. “and if you want it, we will pay you half the money in advance.”
it was evident from the expression on the face of asa peters that there was a severe conflict going on in his mind—a conflict between his love of money and his deep-rooted affection for sally; but avarice conquered at last, and without saying a word asa climbed the fence and led the way toward the house, followed by the deserters, who exchanged many a wink, and laughed silently at the boy who was willing to give up his sweetheart for two dollars.
asa led the deserters up the back stairs and into his room, whose front window, which was open, looked out upon the road. while he was taking from his trunk his cherished wearing apparel, the judicious selection of which had occasioned him infinite trouble and perplexity, don glanced out at the window and saw corporal mack and his men approaching.
“i declare, egan,” said he, “we’re cornered.”
223“o, no,” said the latter, who was making all haste to get out of his wet uniform. “mack doesn’t know that we are here, and even if he suspected it, he has no right to search the house.”
having placed his best suits of clothes in orderly array upon the bed (the deep sighs he uttered while he was thus engaged proved that sally was not yet wholly forgotten), asa seated himself on his trunk and looked out of the window, while don and his companion proceeded to put on their disguises. and disguises they proved to be in every sense of the word. it is doubtful if even the sharp eyes of corporal mack could have penetrated them. the boys looked for all the world like a couple of green country fellows who were out for a holiday; and when don, after disarranging his hair, and assuming an expression of countenance that would have done credit to mark twain’s “inspired idiot,” walked across the floor after the manner of a plantation darkey, egan, who never could control himself when he wanted to laugh, rolled on the bed convulsed with merriment. nothing but the near approach of corporal mack and his men kept him from shouting at the top of his voice.
224“look here, gordon,” said he, as soon as he could speak. “no more of that. you will give us away, sure. mack is a southern boy, and he knows the negro style of progression as well as you do. so mind what you are about.”
just then the clear tones of corporal mack sounded under the window. “hallo, asa,” said he. “seen any of our boys around here lately?”
“wal, yes,” drawled asa, in reply. “i seed a power of ’em yesterday.”
“have you seen any of them to-day?”
“wal, yes; but i seed a right smart sprinklin’ of ’em yesterday.”
“don’t say that again, asa,” whispered egan, excitedly. “if you do you will let the cat out of the bag, sure. that boy is sharper than a steel trap, and you must be careful how you talk to him.”
“you say you have seen some of our boys to-day,” continued the corporal. “were their names egan and gordon? i thought so. well, where are they now?”
“i don’t rightly know jest where they be,” answered asa; and he didn’t either, for his 225back was turned toward the two boys in question.
“i see very plainly that there is nothing to be gained by questioning you,” said the corporal, whose suspicions had been aroused. “you know where those two fellows are, and when you see them again you may tell them that we are going to the show, too.”
asa said he would, and the corporal and his squad moved off.
“what did i tell you?” exclaimed egan. “didn’t i say that if he wasn’t recalled, he would follow us all over the country? now, let’s be moving. we’ll keep out of sight as much as possible until we reach the village, and after we have got into the crowd, we shall be comparatively safe. but remember this: if you are separated from me by any mischance, dodge every fellow in uniform you see, no matter whether he wears a bayonet by his side or not. even hop and curtis would report us to the corporal if they should see and recognize us.”
don had never engaged in an undertaking that was more to his liking. it was one that required the exercise of all the skill and cunning he 226possessed, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that while he was working to the utmost to accomplish his object, he was violating no rule, and was in no danger of being taken to task when he returned to camp.
having paid asa a portion of the money they had agreed to give him for the use of his clothes, don and his companion made the best of their way toward bridgeport, which was filled to overflowing with people from the surrounding country who had flocked in to see the sights. they mingled with the crowd and acted their parts as rustics to perfection. they gazed with open mouth and eyes at every thing they saw, munched apples and gingerbread as they walked along, and tried to beat down the price of candy as often as they stopped to purchase. they went into all the side-shows to see the curiosities on exhibition, and manfully bore their part in the crush and jam that took place when the ticket-wagon was opened.
up to this time they had succeeded in keeping out of the way of their fellow-students, all of whom, having been warned by the corporal, were keeping a sharp look-out for them; but now they 227ran against some of them almost before they knew it. having secured their tickets after a terrific struggle, they moved with the crowd toward the entrance to the “grand pavilion,” and all on a sudden found themselves face to face with four of the corporal’s men. don and his friend knew that they belonged to mack’s squad, for they wore bayonets by their sides to show that they were on duty. they stood two on each side of the entrance, and looked closely at everybody who went in. the situation was growing interesting; and it grew still more interesting before the afternoon was over, and some of the village people afterward declared that don and corporal mack furnished the best part of the entertainment.
“now for it, gordon,” said egan, in an excited whisper. “see how they stare at everybody. that proves that they either know or suspect that we are disguised. it would be a pity if we were to be gobbled right here in the presence of all these people. how everybody would laugh at us!”
but both the boys were equal to the emergency. egan, trusting entirely to his disguise, 228kept straight ahead without looking at the sentries, while don, throwing all the stupidity he could into an unusually intelligent countenance, gazed about him with a frightened air, and clung to his friend’s coat-tails as if he were afraid of being lost. that move came very near being fatal to them. egan laughed audibly, in spite of himself, and hurried on, dragging don after him; while the four guards exchanged significant glances, and one of them hurried out to find corporal mack. the deserters did not know it, but from that moment they were under surveillance.
having taken a look at the animals they went into the second tent, picked out a good seat, invested a portion of their pocket-money in peanuts, and waited patiently for the performance to begin. they did not pay much attention to the stale jokes of the clowns, but they were really interested in the riding and leaping—so much so that they did not notice that corporal mack was improving the opportunity to station his men so that they could not escape. finally the trick mule was brought in, and after he had gone through with his antics and thrown the darkey 229who tried to ride him, some of the spectators went out, while those who had purchased tickets for the musical entertainment, moved over to the other side of the tent. among the latter were don and egan.
by this time don had the satisfaction of knowing that he had made himself an object of interest to the people about him, who told one another that he was the greenest specimen of a country boy they had ever seen. when he moved with the rest over to the opposite side of the tent, he could not resist the temptation to give a specimen of old jordan’s style of locomotion; and he did it so perfectly that he excited the laughter of some and the sincere pity of others, who believed that that was his usual way of walking. there was one, however, who was keeping a sharp eye on all his movements, and who was not deceived—a spruce young soldier, who elbowed his way through the crowd, and, to the surprise of everybody, laid hold of the young countryman’s collar.
“that’s most too attenuated,” said he, with a laugh. “no white fellow ever had so outlandish a gait. gordon, i know you, and i have come for you, too.”
230corporal mack had never yet failed to capture the deserter of whom he had been sent in pursuit. he was noted for his grip, he had confidence in it, and when he placed his hand on don’s collar he thought he had him, sure; but, as it happened, he didn’t know the boy he was trying to arrest.
don wheeled as quick as thought, tore himself lose from the detaining hand and took to his heels, darting like a flash through the crowd of spectators who, astonished beyond measure to see the awkward clown, who had moved so slowly and painfully over the ground, suddenly transformed into a fleet-footed runner, parted right and left to give him room, and cheered him lustily as he passed through their ranks. corporal mack started in hot pursuit. his men, who had been stationed around the outside of the tent, drew in upon the fugitive from all sides; while egan, seeing that no attention was paid to himself, crawled through between the seats, raised the canvas and took himself safely off.
it was an amusing as well as an exciting race that came off in that tent that afternoon, and the shouts of laughter and yells of encouragement that arose on all sides were almost deafening. 231don, in his ill-fitting clothes and big cowhide boots, looked clumsy enough, but he got over the ground at an astonishing rate. seeing that every way of escape, except one, was closed against him, he dashed straight across the ring toward the seats that had just been vacated. he ascended to the topmost one in half a dozen jumps, and diving through the opening between the top of the tent and the side, he dropped lightly to the ground and continued his flight, the cheers and laughter of the amused spectators ringing in his ears as he went.
there were two long freight trains standing on the railroad track, which was close at hand. toward these don bent his steps, intent on getting out of sight as soon as possible; and without pausing to consider the risk he ran in so doing, he crawled under one of the cars to the opposite side of the track. corporal mack followed him without loss of time; but when he arose to an upright position, after crawling under the car, don was not to be seen. he was dodging about among the freight-houses; and after a twenty minutes’ run, having, as he believed, placed a safe distance between himself and his pursuers, he sat down on the edge of the sidewalk 232to take a rest. pulling asa’s big red handkerchief from his pocket and mopping his dripping forehead vigorously, he broke out into a cheery laugh, and was surprised as well as startled to hear it echoed close by.
“well, my young friend, you seem to be in good humor,” said a pleasant voice.
don looked up and saw before him an old gentleman leaning on his cane and beaming at him over his gold spectacles.
“yes, sir,” said he, respectfully, at the same time imitating asa’s drawl. “i’ve been to the show.”
“ah! indeed. and you saw the clowns, i suppose?”
“yes, sir, but i didn’t care for them. i seen the tigers and the elephants and the boy-constructors and all them things; and i seen that there mu-el throw that there nigger——”
here don went off into another paroxysm of laughter. the old gentleman laughed too and passed on, marveling greatly at the boy’s innocence, and wondering where in the world he came from.
after taking time to cool off a little and to 233recover his breath, don got upon his feet and walked away. all the fun was over now so far as the show was concerned. his disguise being known, it would be dangerous for him to stay about the village, and the only thing he could do was to go back to the home of asa peters, where he hoped to find his friend egan.
“i hope he wasn’t captured,” thought don, “for i should find it very lonely roaming about the woods all by myself. besides, i don’t know where those trout-streams are that he said would afford us so much sport. there’s one thing about it: i am out, and i shall not go back until i get ready.”
don would doubtless have been very much surprised if any one had told him that when he got ready to go back to camp he would not be allowed to do so; but such was the case, as he found when he made the attempt.
just before dark don came within sight of asa’s home. as he was hurrying along the road, not dreaming of danger, he heard a familiar voice calling to him; and looking in the direction from which it came, he saw his missing friend egan snugly hidden away among the bushes in a fence-corner. 234when he saw that he had attracted don’s attention he broke out into a hearty peal of laughter.
“you’re a good one, gordon,” said he, “and i would give something to know how corporal mack feels over his failure to make a prisoner of you. i never knew a boy to get away before when once mack got a good grip on his collar, and neither did i ever see no. 10 cowhide boots climb over the ground so rapidly. you have done something worth boasting of.”
“what are you doing there?” asked don.
“waiting for you. come over here. i struck out for this place as soon as i could get out of the tent,” said the sergeant, as don climbed the fence, “hoping to secure possession of our uniforms before the corporal could get here; but he and his men hired a wagon and a span of horses and got ahead of me.”
“do you mean to say that they are guarding the house now?” exclaimed don.
“certainly i do, and you would have run right into their clutches if i hadn’t been here to warn you. they’ll get supper and sleep there to-night, and we must look elsewhere for grub and lodging. 235asa will be in a fearful way about his good clothes, but we can’t help that. we can’t get our uniforms while mack is prowling around.”
egan, who was well acquainted in the neighborhood, had no difficulty in finding food and shelter for himself and his companion. another farm-house opened its hospitable doors to them, and there they passed the night, setting out bright and early the next morning to try one of the trout-streams of which egan had spoken. late in the afternoon they secured an interview with asa, who, after telling them that corporal mack had been recalled that morning, growled lustily at them for keeping his clothes so long. in order to silence him and make sure of other disguises in future, in case they should need them, they gave him an extra dollar, and paid his mother the same amount for drying and pressing out their uniforms.
during the next two days the deserters thoroughly enjoyed themselves, living on the fat of the land, and catching as many fish as they could dispose of. on the afternoon of the third day they began to talk of returning to camp. they took supper with asa that night, and as 236soon as darkness came to conceal their movements they set out for the works, hoping to creep by the sentries and reach the shelter of their tents without arousing anybody, thus winding up their exploits in the most approved style; but they did not get into the camp as easily as they thought they would. while they were passing through a piece of thick woods on their way to the bridge, they were suddenly surrounded by a multitude of dark forms which seemed to rise out of the ground on all sides of them, and before they could resist or cry out, they were seized by strong hands and hurried away through the darkness.
