Frank on the Lower Mississippi

n a Pred

ct some landmark that would enable them to easily find the boat again. Away off in the darkness they saw the

lies in the river exactly in a line with that tree. Now, if you should be separated from me and discovered, make straight for the cutter. But if yo

replied

, "and keep them dry and ready for instant use. Do

you tell the men to pull back to the vessel if we should be cut off from the ri

gobble up boat, crew, and all. Then they would know that we were still on shore, and would scour the country to find us. But if the boat goes off to the vessel, the rebels will be more than half inc

t, and finally stopped scarcely a stone's throw from the building. Not a guerrilla had they seen. Not dreaming that the "yankee gun-boatmen" would have the audacity to attack

nd a tree for concealment, "you stay here, a

s cousin; "I just saw a man pass

at's what we have to do when they shoot into our cabin. Now,

you do?" as

e care of mys

ilently toward the house,

know whether I'll obey or not. It is evident Frank left me here to keep me out of harm's way. Perha

ich the light shone, he stopped and looked in. He did not, however, go up close to the window, or he certainly would have been seen

whom were lying on the floor on their blankets, others sitting around the table, and one or two were walking about the apartment. In the corner

t a hornet's nest would be raised abou

estitute of a curtain, every thing that went on within could be plainly seen by Archie, who took his station behind some bushes that stood at a little distance from the house. The room had three occupants, who

I was about," thought Archie-"I, who gave him t

ng in the house, the rebels were, no doubt, moving to cooler quarters. Archie at once thought of retreating; but the thought had scarcely passed through his mind, when the door opened, the rebels walked out on the

l," said one of the rebels,

m that wound was at that very moment lying behind the bushes into which he had just thrown the stump of his c

umped against his ribs with a noise that frightened him, would certainly reveal to

lonel, "in less than a week from this time

ne who had not yet spoken, "how

ed by to-morrow night, and it will take all of

the one who had first spoken, "we

e night is

, and that, you know, is the worst kind of an enemy to fight.

will land one on each side of the vessel. If the night is dark-and we shall not make the attempt unless it is-we can get within p

for a moment, and

t hear a

d it sounded very much like some one sho

Frank in danger, and shouting to the cutter's crew for help? The thought to Archie was a terrible one, and he forgot the dangers of his own situation, and thought

his mind, the rebels sat on the portico

is the tramping of a horse. I suppo

to Archie that the latter could have touched him, tied his horse to the very bush which formed his concea

lonel, are you wounded?" he added,

have been shot while in the

ou have any letters to go, you will hav

raising his voice, he called out, "B

egro came around the corner of the house, and rem

l Stiles that the mail is all

! He would have known then, had he not before been aware of the fa

sappeared, but soon returned, with the in

s twice he has failed me. But this mail must

in a few moments came back with a

must go across the river to

replied

at once. The skiff, you know, is in the creek

n, as he took the mail-bags

ficers had just brought out of the house-"this one contains my mail-all official do

er, as he shouldered th

t up a bold front, and appeared sanguine of success in their attempts to destroy the Government, yet among themselves

uttered, and even became interested in what the rebels were saying. Now and then he was called to a sense of his

ht the mail the manner in which the capture of the Boxer was to be effected, when suddenly the report of a pis

having been aroused by the noise, came pouring out of the rooms in which they were quartered. "Every man able to draw a saber get out there! Run for the river

to their room, and hastily seizing such weapons as came first to their hands, followed after. To describe Archie's feelings, as he lay there behind that bush and listened to the sounds o

d several bales of hay and bundles of fodder, which the rebels no doubt intended for their horses. But Archie determined that they should be put to a different use, for he quickly drew from his pocket two large bottles filled with coal oil, which he threw over the hay. He then applied a match, and in an instant it was in a blaze. He waited a moment to see it fairly started, and the