Page 38 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

The boy left his companion, and sauntered in and out
among the other men in the yard. Presently he moved on

to the edge of the lawn beyond them, No one took further
notice of him. In a second he had slipped through the gate,
and was fly mg across the field. He knew every foot of
ground as well as a hare, for he had been hunting and setting
traps over it since he was as big as little Charlie. H e had
to make a detour at the creek to avoid the picket* and the

dense briers were very bad and painful. However, he worked
iiis way through, though his f:ice was severely scratched.
Into the creek he plunged, " O u tch l" He had stepped
into a hole, and the water was as cold as ice. However, he

was through, and at the top of the hill he Could see the glow
of the camp fires lighting up the sky.
He crept cautiously up* and saw the dark forms of the
sentinels pacing backward and forward wrapped in their over­
coats, now lit up by the fire, then growing black against its

biasing embers, then lit up again, and passing away into the
shadow. How could he ever get by them? His heart
began to beat and his teeth to chapter, but he walked boldly

‘'H a lt ! who goes there?*' cried the sentry, bringing his

gun down and advancing on him.
Bob kept on, and the sentinel, finding that it was only a
boy, looked rather sheepish,
Li Don’t Jet h im capture you, Jim ,” cniled one of them;
41 Call the Corporal of the Guard,” another; 11 Order up the