. A friend with the countersign . ehind me, when I turned, Icould see intermittently the single light at Hassetts bivouac;at the front was the forbidding forest with Confederate picketson its borders, and patrols on every available road. The river was of varying width — about a hundred and fiftyfeet average — and of varying swiftness. As I groped along itsbank, carefully considering its relations of width and velocity,I came to the knowledge—something I ought to have hadwithout effort — that the narrow places were the swift places,but I could by no means decide that the swift places were shal-
. A friend with the countersign . ehind me, when I turned, Icould see intermittently the single light at Hassetts bivouac;at the front was the forbidding forest with Confederate picketson its borders, and patrols on every available road. The river was of varying width — about a hundred and fiftyfeet average — and of varying swiftness. As I groped along itsbank, carefully considering its relations of width and velocity,I came to the knowledge—something I ought to have hadwithout effort — that the narrow places were the swift places,but I could by no means decide that the swift places were shal-low. After an hours slow progress, I fancied that I had caughta feeble gleam of light through the trees beyond the river, butif a light was there, I had lost it at once, and could not recoverit. Possibly, thought I, some Confederate over there waslighting his pipe —yet I knew that a Confederate would notuse a match for this purpose, especially if near a fire; beyondthe Eapidan matches were costly. I kept on; at once the. TO THE WILDERNESS EOR WAEEEN 49 river began its curve toward the nortQiwest; I had reached themiddle of the bend. I sat down and tried to think what wasbest to do; every further step I should now take up the riverwas doubling my work. Had not that gleam of light comefrom a bivouac fire ? I went back to the spot from which, afew moments before, I had seen the light. I moved my headthis way and that, trying every angle possible within a reason-able scope — nothing but trees, and water, and night. I deter-mined that if that were a fire made at a Confederate picketpost, I should learn the fact as fact. Walking slowly back-ward from the water, I ascended the sloping bank of thestream, keeping my gaze to the front. On top of the bank itwas worse; the boughs of the bending trees did not let me seeeven the surface of the river. I went on back, still seekinghigher ground, but the ground became no higher. What todo ? Suddenly I had it; I went rapidly toward t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
