Page 135 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

of their number, and the rest went back to camp. With the

countersign they passed the sentry, and went into the camp.
Then they found that the commanding officer had gone off
somewhere, and was not in camp that night, and there were
so many men stirring about that they did not dare to wait.
They determined, therefore, to capture some horses and
return. They were looking over the lines of horses to take

their pick when they were discovered. Each man had
selected a horse, anti was trying to get him, when the alarm
was given, and they were fired on, They had only time to
cut the halters when the camp began to pour out. Flinging

themselves on the horses’ backs, they dashed out under a
fusillade, firing right and left. They took to the road, but it
had been picketed, and they had to dash through the men
who held it under a fire poured into their faces. All had
passed safely except one, whose horse had become unman­

ageable, and had run away, flying the track and taking to the
fields.
He was, they agreed, the finest horse in the lot, and his
rider had had great trouble getting him, and had lingered so
long that he came near being captured. He had finally cut

the halter, and had cut it too short to hold by.
They had great fun laughing at their comrade, and the
figure he cut as his barebacked horse dashed off into the
darkness, with him swinging to the mane. He had shortly
been dragged off of him in the woods, and when he appeared

in camp next day, he looked as if he had been run through a