er, caught the
old man with his sinewy hand, tore him from the seat, and flung him
into the fence-corner. He sprang into the seat, turned the horse's head
toward Chattanooga, and hit him a sharp cut with a switch that lay in
the wagon.

"I've got about three miles the start," he said as he rattled off. "This
horse's young and fresh, while their's probably run down. The road
from here to the main road's tollably good, and I think I kin git there
before they kin overtake me."

At the top of the hill he looked back, and saw the rebels coming out.
Apparently they had not understood what had happened. They had seen no
Yankees and could not have seen the Deacon's tussle with the old man.
They supposed that the holler simply meant for them to come in and get
their dinner, instead of having it taken out to them. All this passed
through the Deacon's mind, and he chuckled over the additional start it
would give him.

"They won't find out nothin' till they git clean to the house," he said.
"By that time I'll be mighty nigh the main road. My, but wouldn't I
like to have as many dollars as they'll be mad when they find the Yankee
trick that's bin played on 'em, with their dinner hauled off into the
Union camp."

He rattled ahead sharply for some time, looking back at each top of a
hill for his pursuers. They did not come in sight, but the main road to
Chattanooga did, and then a new trouble suggested itself.

"I won't never dare haul this load uncovered through camp," he said to
himself. "The first gang o' roustabout teamsters that I meet'll take
every spoonful of the vittles, and I'd be lucky if I have the horse and
wagon left. I must hide it some way. How? That's a puzzler."

At length a happy idea occurred to him. He stopped by a cedar thicket,
and with his jack-knife cut a big load of cedar boughs, which he piled
on until every bit of food was thoroughly concealed. This took much
time, and as he was finishing he heard a yell on the hill behind, and
saw a squad of rebels riding down toward him. He sprang to the seat,
whipped up his horse, and as he reached the main road was rejoiced to
see a squad of Union cavalry approaching.

"Here, old man," said the Lieutenant in command; "who are you, and what
are you doing here?"

"I'm a nurse in the hospital," answered the Deacon unhesitatingly. "I
was sent out here to get some cedar boughs to make beds in the hospital.
Say, there's some rebels out there, comin' down the hill. Th