Page 154 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

Jack determined to track him, and find out where he was if
possible. They set out through the woods. They could fol­
low the track quite we!! in most places, but in some spots it
was almost lost, Jn such cases jack followed the method of
woodsmen'—he took a circle, and hunted until he found it
again. The trail led straight to the clearing. As they drew

near, Jake became very nervous, so jack left him lying under
a hush, and he crept up. It was so late now that it was get­
ting quite dusk in the woods, so Jack could creep up close.
He got down on his hands and knees. As he came near
he could see the men sitting about the little old cabin, 1 hey

were talking. Their guns were lying against the wall, at some
little distance, and their horses were picketed not fai off,
rather in the shadow, Jack observed, jack lay down at the
edge of the wood and counted them, There were five men
and six horses. Yes, one of them must be his horse. He

listened to the men. They were talking about horses. He
crept a little closer. Yes, they were talking over the finding
of his horse. One man thought he knew him, that he was the
Colonel’s horse that had been stolen that night when so many
horses were carried off by the Johnnies; others thought it uras

a horse some of the negroes had stolen from the plantation
across the river from their master, and had hidden. There
was the pen and the bridle, and there was the path down to
the crossing at the river. Jacks heart beat faster; so they
knew the crossing. They were very much divided, but on

one thing they all agreed, that anyhow he was a fine animal,