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I had never known it, but one of the bullets from that infernal picket had passed through his body. The gallant creature had never winced nor weakened, but had gone while life was in him. One instant I was secure on the swiftest, most graceful horse in Massena's army.
Some took clothing from the dead and wrapped themselves in it; others, who were fortunate enough to procure spades, dug gopher holes, and burrowed. At daylight the Sixty-fifth New York clambered over the huge earthwork, took possession of Fort Hell, opened a picket fire and fired one of the guns in the fort, eliciting no reply.
The man at the picket fence smiled again, but the smile was without offense. "Well, yes," he answered. "Yes, considerably bigger, I should judge. Twice as large, at least, and maybe more than that." The boy did not answer. He just faced about to stare once more. And then the miracle came to pass.
When they arrived at the top of this rise they saw nothing. Coleman was very uncertain. He was not sure that this picket had not carried with him a general alarm, and in that case there would soon occur a certain amount of shooting. However, as far as he understood the business, there was no way but forward.
When the confederate charge was sounded, Custer was near his picket line and, scenting the first note of danger, turned his horse's head toward the point where he had hidden his Wolverines in ambush and, bursting into view from the woods beyond the field, we saw him riding furiously in our direction.
"Stop your boat, quick!" said the soldier, who had partially dropped his musket from its menacing position. "I can't stop it," responded Tom, apparently in an agony of terror. "I would go ashore if I could." "What's the matter?" "The water runs so swift, I can't stop her; been trying this two hours." "You will be inside the Yankee lines in half an hour if you don't fetch to," shouted the picket.
"That was a good job. And I've had better, too; forty, fifty, sixty dollars better." "Shall we unpack the wagon?" Clallam inquired. "I don't know. You ever been to New Milford? I sold shoes there. Thirty-five dollars and board." The emigrants attended to their affairs, watering the horses and driving picket stakes.
At length the American picket discovered the approach of the British columns and gave the alarm. The bugles rang shrill in the ear of night. Every embrasure of the seemingly sleeping fort flashed forth its tongue of flame, revealing the position of the assailants, and the gloom settled heavier than ever, deepened still further by the sulphureous clouds of smoke from the cannon.
She jacked up, changed wheels and was away again in the shortest possible time. True a little over a quarter of an hour was lost, but the locking ring had rusted in its thread, as sometimes happens, and it was heavy work for a girl to shift it unaided. She had forbidden Barraclough to help and had made him picket a hundred yards down the road in case the pursuers should come up unexpectedly.
About midway between the main reserve and the picket line are stationed two, three, or four picket reliefs, so situated as to form, with the line of vedettes for a base, a pyramid, with its apex at the main reserve. The boys will not soon forget the long, dreary, dangerous hours they spent along this line.
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