"Are you a--hic----"

Somers was not a "hic;" but he was an impatient young man, and very anxious to be instructed in regard to his difficult and dangerous mission.

"Are you a minister of the gospel?" demanded the general, after a mighty effort.

"No, sir; I am not."

"I'm sorry for--hic--for that; for I wanted to appoint you a division chaplain, to preach against whiskey to the general officers. Some of them are--hic--drunken fellows, and no more fit for a command than the old topers in the streets of Richmond."

"I am sorry I am not competent to fill the office; but I think, if you should lecture them yourself, it would have a better effect."

"My words are--hic--powerless. They laugh when I talk to them about the error of their ways," added he with a string of oaths, which seemed to exhibit a further necessity for a chaplain on the division staff.

"I beg your pardon, sir; but I am afraid your interest in the moral welfare of your officers----"

"That is it, young man!" interrupted the drunken general, catching at his idea with remarkable promptness. "My interest in the moral welfare of my--hic--of my officers! You are a trump, young man [big oath]. You are a major now?"

"No, sir."

"Only a captain?"

"No, sir; nothing but a private."

"Then you shall be a captain. I haven't heard any such--hic--sentiments as you expressed used in this division before. You ought to be a--hic--a brigadier-general."

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind. I came to you for instructions in regard to my mission over to the enemy."

"Bless me! yes; so you did. Well, I have not written them yet."

"I only want a pa.s.s from you, general, with such verbal instructions as you may please to give me."

"So you do; the fact of it is, my interest in the moral welfare of my men had driven the matter out of my mind."

The general called an orderly; and Somers was sent off to the adjutant for the pa.s.s, which was given to him under the name he had a.s.sumed. When he returned, the general was sound asleep on his camp-stool, rolling about like a ship in a gale, with a prospect of soon landing at full length on _terra firma_. Somers would gladly have received some military information from the general, who was in a condition to tell all he knew; which, however, could not have been much, under the circ.u.mstances. He concluded that it would be best for him not to awaken the tipsy moralist; and, after waiting a short time on the spot to avoid suspicion, he joined Major Platner, who was smoking his cigar under a tree near the headquarters.

"Well, young man, did you obtain your instructions?"

"Yes; all I require."

"Perhaps we ought to have seen the general before dinner," added the major, using the remark as a "feeler" to induce his companion to inform him what had transpired during the interview.

"Perhaps it would have been more agreeable to the general. However, he seemed to be in a very talkative mood."

"He commonly is after dinner."

"He is a very jovial, good fellow."

"Very."

"But he appears to feel a deep interest in the moral welfare of those under his command. He expressed himself as very averse to habits of intemperance."

"Humph!" coughed the major.

"He said that whiskey was the great enemy the army has to contend against, and intends to issue a general order directed at the vice of intemperance."

"Did he?"

"He did; but I ought to add, that he took me to be a major in the service; a mistake which was very natural, since I wore no coat."

"Very natural--after dinner," replied Major Platner suggestively.

"I told him I never drank any strong drink; and he kindly advised me never to do so."

"The general is a brave man, and I hope he will be able to overcome all his enemies."

The major permitted the conversation to go by default, and Somers respectfully dropped a pace or two behind him. They reached the brigade headquarters, and then repaired to the guard tent, from which the scout took his departure upon his arduous and difficult mission, with the best wishes of the rebel officers.

With his pa.s.s he had no difficulty in going through any line, and made his way down to the woods on the left of the open fields. He began to feel easier when he had pa.s.sed the field-works, and experienced a sensation of exultation as he thought of the reception which awaited him at headquarters as well as in the regiment.

CHAPTER XV

THE SHARPSHOOTER IN THE WOODS

Somers found the picket guard nearer the rebel line than he had antic.i.p.ated; but the exhibition of his pa.s.s, which had been prepared with special reference to this purpose, prevented any long detention, though a sergeant had to be called who was scholar enough to read the mysterious doc.u.ment.

"I reckon you haven't got the best place to go through," said the sergeant, after he had examined the pa.s.s, and satisfied himself of its correctness.

"Why not?"

"There's a whole squad of Yankees a good piece in there," he replied, pointing in the direction of the Federal lines. "They've been there all day watching for something."

"What do they want?"

"There was a man run through the line this forenoon from their side, and I reckon they are trying to find him."

"Was he a Yank?" asked Somers, desirous of obtaining their idea of the fugitive.

"Dunno what he was. We didn't see him till he got a good piece behind us.

We were chasing the Yanks who run away when they saw us."

This was satisfactory to our scout; for the sergeant appeared to have no knowledge that would be dangerous to him, and none of the graybacks recognized the pants he wore. He advanced cautiously, as though he was afraid of stumbling upon the squad of Yankees described by the sergeant, till he could no longer be seen by the pickets. The last obstacle seemed to be overcome; and he hastened to the place where he had concealed his uniform, which he wished to put on before he approached the pickets on the other side. It was now nearly dark, and he had no time to spare; for, if he approached his own men in the darkness, he would be in danger of being shot before they discovered who he was, though he had full confidence in the discretion of Hapgood.

Without difficulty, he found the place where he had concealed his clothes; and, after a.s.suring himself that none of the rebel pickets were in sight, he hastily put them on. To prevent any unpleasant suspicions, he took the precaution to hide the gray pants he had worn, in the long gra.s.s of the swamp, so that they need not attract the attention of any stroller who might pa.s.s in that direction. Though we have frequently held our hero up as a model of modesty, we are compelled to acknowledge that he felt exceedingly well satisfied with himself on the present occasion.

He felt that he had done what, in the homely vocabulary of the boys of Pinchbrook, might well be called "a big thing."