d the blue heap among the bushes.

"Bring that man out!" said he sternly to one of the guards.

Poor Si scarcely dare to breathe. He hoped the man would think he was
dead, and therefore no longer of any account. But the soldier began to
prod him with his bayonet, ordering him to get up and move on.

[Illustration: "DON'T STAB ME." 123 ]

"Look-a-here, pard," said Si, "don't stab me with that thing! I jest
can't git along any furder till I blow a little. You please lemme be,
an' I'll do as much for you. P'rhaps some time you'll get played out and
I'll be on the rear-guard. The Cap'n 'll tell me ter fotch ye 'long, an'
I'll jest let ye rest, so I will!"

This view of the case struck the guard with some force. Moved with
compassion, he turned away, leaving Si to enjoy his rest.

[Illustration: HYDROPATHIC TREATMENT 125 ]

Si threw aside his traps, took off his shoes and stockings, and bathed
his feet with water from his canteen. He ate a couple of hardtack,
and in the course of half an hour began to feel more like Si Klegg. He
geared himself up, shouldered his gun, and started to "ketch up."

All this time the stream of troops--regiments, brigades and
divisions--had flowed on. Of course, soldiers who were with their colors
had the right of way, and the stragglers were obliged to stumble along
as best they could, over the logs and through the bushes at the sides of
the roads or skirt along the edges of the fields and woods adjoining. It
was this fact added to their exhausted and crippled condition, that made
it almost impossible for stragglers to overtake their regiments until
they halted for the night. Even then it was often midnight before the
last of the wayfarers, weary and worn, dragged their aching limbs into
camp.

Si started forward briskly, but soon found it was no easy matter to gain
the mile or so that the 200th Ind. was now ahead of him. It was about
all he could do to keep up with the fast-moving column and avoid failing
still further to the rear. Presently the bugles sounded a halt for one
of the hourly rests.

"Now," said Si to himself, "I'll have a good chance to git along tor'd
the front. The soljers 'll all lie down in the fence corners an' leave
the road clear. I'll jest git up an' dust!"

The sound of the bugles had scarcely died away when the pike was
deserted, and on either side, as far as the eye could reach, the
prostrate men that covered the ground mingled in a long fringe of blue.

Si