Page 55 - Arkansas Confederate Women

50 Confederate Women op Arkansas

That poor widow, believing that her last hour had come,
fell upon her knees and poured forth such a prayer as I had

never before or since heard. It moved those rough men so that

some of them actually cried and they declared that the prayer
would last them their lifetime. The whole troop soon left her

in peace. Two of her sons died in the war and now she, too, has

gone to her reward.

CARRYING OUT HIS ORDERS.

Hugh Mc , a son of the Emerald Isle, who had volun-

teered in the 6th South Carolina infantry, was stationed on the

beach of Sullivan's Island with strict orders to let no one pass

him without the countersign, and that to be communicated only

in a whisper. Two hours later the corporal, with the relief, dis-

covered by the moonlight Hugh, up to his waist in water, the

tide having set in since he was posted.

"Who goes there?" the sentinel shouted.

"Belief."

"Halt relief. Advance corporal and give the countersign."
"I'm not going in there to be drowned," replied, the corporal.

"Come out here and let me relieve you."

"Divil a bit of it," returned Hugh. "The leftenant toald

me not to lave me post."

"Well, then," replied the corporal, "I'll leave you in the
water all night," and he turned as he spoke.

But the sentinel's gun was promptly cocked and levelled.
"Halt. I'll put a hole in you ef ye pass without the coun-

tersign. Them's me orders from the leftenant."

"Confound you," cried the corporal, "everybody will hear
it if I bawl it out to you."

"Yes, me darlin," rejoined Hugh, "and the leftenant said it
must be given in a whisper. In with yes. Me finger's on the
trigger and me gun may go off."

The corporal yielded to this and waded in to the faithful

—sentinel, who exclaimed : "Be jabbers, it's well you've come the

bloody tide has most drowned me."