The Young Sharpshooter at Antietam Part 4

"But I don't remember making any such promise," said Noel slowly.

"Indade, an' you did," declared Dennis. "You gave me your word, and your word is better nor your bond. You haven't breathed a word of it to a livin' soul."

"How do you know I haven't?"

"Because if you had whispered it even to the sutler 't would have been all over the camp in no time. I knew I could rely on you, me boy."

"But I tell you," protested Noel, "I don't remember making any such promise."

"You shure did, and if you didn't you'll give it to me now."

"How do you know I will?" protested Noel, whose opportunities of teasing his joke-loving tent-mate were not numerous.

If there was any mischief in the camp every one by common consent declared that Dennis O'Hara had a share in it, if he was not the prime mover. But like all practical jokers, Dennis, so fond of playing pranks upon others, was usually easily angered when he himself was made the victim of the pranks.

"Shure, Noel," he begged, "you'll give me your promise now? Just think what it would mane for me. Ugh!" he added, as he closed his eyes and shuddered at the recollection of the "attack" of the huge field-hand.

"But, Dennis," protested Noel, "she was simply trying to show her love for you. She said she had been waiting years for you to come down here.

Indeed, she declared that with you here the year of Jubilee had nothing to offer."

"She didn't!" spoke up Dennis promptly. "Indade, an' she said nothin'

of the kind! If you won't mind, Noel," he added, "I think I'll make a deetour about that cabin yonder," as a little log cabin in the distance was seen.

"What's the matter now, Dennis?" laughed Noel. "You aren't afraid there will be more field-hands there?"

"I don't feel like takin' great chances. I tell you, Noel, one such chase is enough to last a man a lifetime."

"I don't know, Dennis, whether or not we had better go much farther,"

said Noel, hesitating as he stood on the hillside and looked anxiously about him. "We must be five or six miles from camp now and we ought to get back long before sunset."

"What's scarin' ye, Noel?" demanded Dennis.

"Nothing is scaring me," answered Noel; "but I don't want to get a reprimand for being late in the camp. We wouldn't get leave to be away again very soon if we did."

"There are no Johnnies around here, anyway."

"You don't know that," said Noel positively.

"We haven't seen any."

"That doesn't mean that General Lee has not sent some division over this way. He has a trick of doing that, you know, and making his men show up where they aren't always expected."

"I don't mind the Johnnies," said Dennis boldly, "if we can only keep away from the nagers. Did you mind, lad, the c.o.c.kle-burrs that were in the wool of that ould field-hand that tried--"

Dennis stopped abruptly, and turning sharply listened to the sounds which had apparently come from the valley below them.

"What's that?" he whispered.

"That sounded like a rifle shot," said Noel seriously. "I tell you, Dennis, we must get back to camp. I don't want to take any chances of being cut off, and it would be mighty easy for some Johnnie to get between us and the picket. I don't like the sound of that shot."

"No more do I," agreed Dennis. "I'm with you, lad, we'll start for the camp."

More anxious than either of the young soldiers was willing to admit to his companion, Noel and Dennis started hastily down the hillside, on their way back to the garrison at Harper's Ferry.

Even thoughts of foraging apparently were ignored or forgotten by Dennis. Success had not crowned their efforts that day. Not a pig had been seen, and if there were any chickens in the region they had been successfully hidden by their owners. A few withered beets and a bunch of onions comprised the entire stock which Dennis had secured with all his efforts.

"Look yonder, will ye!" exclaimed the excited young Irishman in a loud whisper, pointing as he spoke to a small body of men in gray who could be seen not far away in the road before them.

"We'll have to hide," whispered Noel. "It may be that they have seen us already, but if they haven't we might stand a chance of getting past them. Come on!" he added as he seized his companion by the arm and drew him to the roadside.

The discovery which the two young soldiers had made was doubly threatening because the road now was not near any woods.

The partly cleared fields were inclosed by rude fences of rails. Hastily leaping over the fence, Noel and Dennis crouched on the ground behind the rails.

Before they had taken their position Dennis whispered hoa.r.s.ely, "They have seen us, lad. There must be twinty men in that band. If we try for the woods yonder, they'll get us both."

"We'll have to stay right where we are, Dennis, and do the best we can to defend ourselves."

"The odds are only tin to one," said Dennis, chuckling as if the fact was more of a joke than a peril. "They're comin', too," he added as he pointed toward a small body of men who could be seen advancing up the side of the hill.

CHAPTER IV

THE V IN THE FENCE

The prophecy of Dennis that a small body of men were approaching up the winding road was in part fulfilled.

The men advanced until both the crouching soldiers were able to see distinctly that they were clad in the uniform of gray. This fact confirmed their suspicions that somehow the small body of men had come between them and the camp at Harper's Ferry. Just what this meant or how much it implied, neither was able to conjecture.

The afternoon sun was low in the western sky. As Noel glanced behind him he became aware of this fact, and with it also came a hope that if the advancing party might be kept off until the sun had set, the darkness would provide a shelter under which he and his companion might be able to retrace their way to camp.

"They're stoppin', lad!" whispered Dennis excitedly.

"So they are," replied Noel "If they will only stay there we may be able to get away from here after all."

"But they have seen us," protested Dennis.

"I know it," answered Noel. "But they may not be able to see us now."

"There's one thing," said Dennis; "they don't know how many there are here. If they have seen only two, it may be they think we're part of a big company. We'll do all we can to lave them believe that. We don't want any closer acquaintance with any of thim Johnnies."

It was manifest that the party had halted in the road, and whether or not there was any prospect of an advance was something which the boys could not determine.

Behind him Noel saw that the field sloped towards some woods that were not more than one hundred yards away.