A RATHER BAD CHRISTMAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5650, 25 December 1879, Page 3

A RATHER BAD CHRISTMAS.

WJ3 were living in tho deserted village— that is to say, my battery of light artillery was stationed at Bluffton, South Carolina, bluffton, at ordinary tiine3, has a population of about three thousand souls; but at the time of which I write it had no population at all. It is built upon a high bluff overlooking an arm of the sea, or, more properly, a great bay broken by islands into various inlets. Hilton Head lies withiu sight, and all the waters of tha great island-studded bay are navigable by large steamers. Bluffton never had any business to do. Its population consisted wholly of wealthy planters and their families. Its houses were all elegant, aud its streets were shaded by treee, not planted in rows, but growing wild about the thoroughfares. But ttluffton was exposed to the direct assaults of the gunboaßS; and so, early in the war, its entire population left, aud went to points iu the interior of South Carolina, and at the time I write of there was not a soul in the town except the men of the battery to which I belonged. Our captain was acting commandant of outposts, aud 1 as adjutant of the same.

Our supports consisted of two or three small troops of cavalry, whose campa were eeveral miles in tho rear of our own. These cavalry-meu did all the picketing, and in tho event of an attack we and they were charged with the duty of harassing the advance of the enemy, and delayiug him on his march to the railroad, seventeen miles away, long tnough for troops to be sent dowu from Charleston. It wa? a wild, free, gipsey-like life, which I enjoyed intensely : and 1 count my six months at BluiTton at once the idlest and most delightful i ever led. We lived in tlie handsomely-furnished house?, made free use of very rich libraries, tished, played at chesa, dozed upon "joggling boards" in sea-breeze-swept piazzas, and altogether did nothing most industriously and delightfully. The only duty to bu done was the making of grand rounds among the pickets, aud this task devolved upou me about once a week. Tue pickets were stationed at all available points of observation below—all points from which the channels of the bay could be seen ; aud to visit them required an all-night's ride, which in that country is by no mcaus an agreeable undertaking. The weeds rise above the head of a horseman, and the dew is so heavy that it drips, as rain might, from every leaf. Hiding all night in such weeds, oue becomes water-soaked, and chilled to the very bones, even during the fierce summer weather; while, duriug tho fall and winter, a nightride on this subtropical coast brings with it a degree of suffering from cold which no New'fenglanil weather ever produces. To visit the picket-posts, however, was absolutely necessary, as upan their efficiency depended our salety, and that of the railroad wo were set to defend. If a single picket slept, a fleet of gunboats or ship's launches might come to Blnffton wholly unannounced ; aud the battery, without euppoit, would of necessity fall helpless into thejenemy's hands. It was Christmas live, and a heap of hard pine was blaziug in the great fireplace in my quarters. My negro servant was busy in the kitchen without; aud my gue3ts, half-a-dozen officers from my own aud the cavalry companies, were already assembled. I had invited them to dine with me upon a haunch of veuison, a wild turkey, Man, oysters, crabs, shrimps, &c, all of which, except the first two, could be taken at any time within a hundred yards of my door. The materials for a bowl of egg-nog, the universal Christmas drink at the South, had been provided for in advance, and my little party-giving promised to bo a thoroughly successful tit of hospitality. My man Curry had just begun to put the six o'clock dinner on the table, when a mtsscnger came to report that Lieutenant <j t the officer appointed to make tho picket rounds that night, waa ill, and could not go. It was my turn next, and there was no escape. At the holiday season pickets especially needed watching, aud I knew very well it would never do to leave them unvieited that night. There was nothing for it, therefore, biri to turn my guests over to the captain, my messmate, and order my horse. My guide—for without a guide no one could possibly linil his way at night through that country—was a dull, taciturn fellow, with whom I found it impossible to maintain a conversation ; and so my twelve miles' ride to the farthest picket post, which I visited first, was a very disagreeable substitute for tho jovial, social evoning I had planneil. By the time I reached Bear's Island I was wet to the skin with dew, and stiff with cold. It was about ten o'clock when we rode across the causeway from tho mainland to the island, and the tirst thing I observed was the utter darkness of the place. Ordinarily the pickets kept up a little lire behind a screen, at which to warm and dry themselves during the night; and approaching from the rear, I always saw the lire ; when 1 crossed the causeway, the screen

standing between it and the water, on the outer side. To-night, however, everything was dark, and it was ■with some difficulty that we found our way acro3s the island to the picket post. " What's the matter, sergeant," I aske3, " where's your lire to-night?" " I had to put it out and move away from it," he replied. " They are loading up two gunboats aud three transports just across the creek there, and they threw two or three charges of grape-shot over here an hour ago. I've been watching them, and was on the point of sending a man up with tha alarm. I'm felad you've come to take the responsibility off my hands." By this time I had brought my glass -a strong marine iustrument —to bear upon the pier on the other Bide of the cut or "creek," as it is commonly called, and saw that the sergeant was right. Three transports were rapidly receiving troops, cavalry, artillery, and infantry, while two rather formidable-

looking gunboats were alowly steaming up and down in front. The inlet was nearly a mile wide ; and as the enemy showed but few lights, aud dim ones, the sergeant, without a glass, had not been able to discover the number of troops taken on board. I soon made out, however, that at least five field batteries were on. board, and that the transports were almost full of troops, while a battalion of infantry, a squadron of cavalry, and two batteries, remained on shore, apparently waiting for those on board to be disposed of so as to afford room lor them. I rapidiy weighed all the probabilities in my mind. There were two and only two possible purposes in this embarkation of troops. It was a formidable expedition against the railroad via Bluffton, or else it was merely a removal of troops from one point of the coast to another. If ihe liiafa irorc tho object, the vessels would steam up the inlet; if the other, they would put to sea. But, were it merely a transfer of troops, why were the transfers crowded in this way ? and why were the convoying gunboats there ? There was no enemy at sea off the coast, except storim; and, as these were disregarded in the overloading of the steamers, it seemed to me clear that the expedition was bound to Bluffton. " How many men have you, sergeant," I abked. "Tivo," he replied. "Truaty fellows?" "A3 good as ever threw a leg over a saddle." "Send them to me," I said. When they came I asked : " Are your horses good one 3':" " Pretty good." " Mount then," I Baid to one, " and ride as fast as you can to Buckingham Ferry aud wait with the pickets there till the fleet comes within sight. Then seud a man to Blutfton to announce the fact ; aud you stay till the fleet has passed, observing which croek it takes. As soon as you satisfy yjurself on that point, ride to Bluffton and report." Then, turning to the other, I said: "You go to Hunting Island and do the same thing. Tell the sergeants to follow their standing orders in all other' regards. Be quick now, both of you. I'll expect you at Bluffton at the right time." As the men rode away, I walked to the place where the sergeant was still standing and said :

"Sergeant, you and I will stay here till the flset leaves, and then will ride straight to camp on a full run, and give the alarm in time."

"it's already leaving," he replied ; "and look, it's steaming straight up the creek !' Looking, I saw that it was as ho had said. The two gunboats abreast led the column, the transports following. "it's time for us to bo riding, then," i said, hastily springing iuto the saddle ; " but we can beat them by two hours, as the civek is crooked, and they must sound all the way, for waut of buoys." We galloped across the itsland ; but, when we came to the little creek, we found an unexpected obstacle in our way. 'ihe tide had risen well nigii to the ilood, and extraordinarily high, in consequence of a high wind ivhiou had been blowing on shore all day. I'he strip of marsh which separated the slaiid from the mainland was completely overed with water, and even the causeway vaa submerged. The two men we had sent o alarm the pickets had reached the place inly a minute earlier than we, and we found hem huutiug for some landmark or other, >y which to discover where the causeway wa?. The sergeant thought he knew it's locality ind direction, and boldly plunged in, the e,t of us following. Just what we did, or vhcre went, or how it all happened, none >f us ever knew ; but we rode otf the aubnorged track about midway the stream, and ouiid ourselves floundering in the water, ome of us on our horses, and some of us iiider them. It was the darkest night I ver knew, and once in the water, we could ee no shore anywhere. .Naturally enough :aeh took the direction in which he thousht ihe bank lay, and it seems no two of us ij-reed in our views on this point. My horse iwam pretty well, and filially neared the idge of the water; but the bottom was a ]uagmirc, aud, sinking iuto it, ho could not ixtricate himself. To relieve him I got otl" iis back, and into the water, but it proved ;oo late. With every struggle ho sank leeper ; and within a minute the poor fellow ay lifeless in the water, half buried in the mid of the bottom. My own situation was a perilous one. My :eet sank at once in the slimy mire, and to 3ave myself I threw my body forward. Succeeding in freeing myself, I swam until the water was too shallow for swimming; ifter which, by crawling on my belly, 1 mauaged to avoid sinking and sinotheriug in the mud. It was half an hour, however, before I stood upon firm ground again, and then I did not know which side of the inateh [ had reached. I was covered with slime, stiff with cold, aud utterly exhausted with my exertions. Of myself, however, I thought little. I was only janxious about the sleep-

ing battery at Bluffton. If the alarm were not given—and unless soma oue or other of our party had succeeded in getting across with his horse, it could not be—JtSluffcou would be taken by surprise ; tho battery would be captured, and a rapid march would take the euemy to the railroad, either at Grahaniville or llardeeville, before any force could be sent to oppose him. Even i£ the two men from the picket-post had got out on tho other side I knew that they would not go to Bluffcon, but to Buchanan Ferry and Hunting Island, as I had ordered ; and it was not at all certain that the fleet would pas 3 either cf those pointa, as it could sail up other creeks quite as easy, particularly on such a tide as tuat. With these thoughts in my mind I began at once to bestir myself. I was not long in discovering that I was still on the islaud, but net on the mainland. Following the edge of the water, I presently came to the two men who had been with the sergeant on picket. One oE them was stuck in the mud, und the other was tryiug to draw him out with a pole. Both had lost their horses, though, as I learned a day sr two afterwards, neither of the animals were drowned. The sergeant and my guide had escaped with their steeds, and I found both on the Island, a little further up the shore. The guide was uttetiy demoralised with fright or cold, or both ; and so I took his horse aud ordered him to nait ou the island till morning, and then make his way to whatever point he should find it easiest to reach. The sergeant and I determined to make another effort to get to camp and give the alirm. " Run back to tho other side of the island," said he to one of his men, " and sec

if the fl=et is still in eight, and what it is doing. We mast let our horses blow a little, and you can get back by the time we are ready to start."

The man went, and his comrade, having nothing better to do, went with him. Presently one of them returned bringing the news that the fleet wa? making its way up a narrow creek, from which neither the Buckingham Ferry nor the Hunting Island pickets could see it, and as those were the only posts from which, after seeing it, a man could get to Bluffcon in time to give the alarm, both the sergeant and I were more than ever determined to make our way to camp at all hazards. Luckily, the raad from Bear a Island to Bluffton was the easiest one in all that country to find, and the one I happened to know best; so that even if the sergeant should not get across the marah, I was confident of my ability to go to camp alone.

"Now," said the sergeant, "if I get across, I won't wait for you, but will go ryht ou. If you sucoeed, don't wait ior me. It's no time for ceremony, and is is better one cf us should drown than the other lju delayed." "Spoken like a man ami a sergeant," said I. "Now for it!' , aud with that we again es-ayed to follow the submerged track. About midway the ssrgeatt'e horae went down as before ; and just as X was about to say something encouraging to him, my own hosse, or tho guide's, rather, which 1 wa? riding, fell head foremost into the salt water, throwing me completely over his head.

J?or a monicut I was senseless from Sk l)low received either from the hooC or! the sergeant's horse, or by falling agaiuet one of the timbers of the causeway. When I came to myself, I was clinging to the tail of the sergeant's horse, while ths sergeant, as I presently discovered, was holding by one o£ the stirrups. How long we were in the water, I do not know, but b miibt have been nearly an hour. The poor horso swam round in a purposeless way, not, knowing where to go, uutil ho sank exhausted beneath the tide. Cool a3 the night was, the salt water was tepid, as it always U on the corst, else I should not now be alivo to toll of iny adventursee on that Christmas Kvo.

We got out at last, aud found ourselves on the islaud again. Deßpairini: now—for without horses it waa simply impossible to get to Bluffton until long afttr the time when our coming would bo of any use—wo trunged doggedly across the island, that wo might wait and listen at tho water's edge for the boomiug of the cannon. Two more utterly wretched young ir.cn no Christinas ever dawned upon.

" See there !"' said the sergeant halting suddenly. " There's the fleet, and bless iny soul ! it's putting to sea !"

It was true enough. No attack was to be made after all; and we hail spunt the night drowning horses, aud nearly drowning ourselves for nothing. Why the lleet had steamed several miles up the creek before putting to sea, I have never been ablo to guess; but I distinctly remember that ite prank subjected me to a twelve-miles' walk that Christmas mo.'uiug, aud compelled me to substitute quiuine and dogwood-root bark titters for egg-nog and a Christmas dinner.— Geoiwie Cakv Eghleswx, in Golden Jlule.