Page 137 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

they entered ; but at the creek they turned and made for
about opposite where Jack understood his friend had been
thrown by the wild horse that night. They had to avoid the
pickets on the roads, so they stuck to the woods.
At the river the first difficulty presented Itself; the bridge
and ford were picketed. How wer£ they to get across? It

was over their heads in the middle. Jack could swim a little,
but Jake could not swim a stroke. Besides, they did not
wish to get their clothes wet, as that would betray them at
home, lack thought of a raft, but that would take loo long
to make; so finally they decided to go down the stream and

try to cross on an old tree that had fallen into the water two
or three years before.
The way down was quite painful, for the underbrush
along the banks was very dense, and was matted with bram­
bles and briers, which stuck through their clothes; added to

which there was a danger of “ snakes,1' as jake constantly
Insisted. But after a slow march they reached the tree. It
lay diagonally across the stream, as it had fallen, its roots on
the bank on their side and the branches not quite reaching
the other bank. This was a disappointment. However,

Jack determined to try, and if it was not too deep beyond
the branches, then Jake could come. Accordingly, he pulled
off his clothes, and carefully tying them up in a bundle, he
equipped himself with a long pole and crawled out on the
lo£j\ When he got among the branches, he fastened his

bundle and let himself down. It was a little over his head.