object, for he had shown that in any business of this
kind he knew more than all of us put together, therefore we made ready
to set out; but before the first step had been taken we saw coming
toward us from the direction of Bladensburg, a man riding a mule, and
waving his arms as if to attract our attention.

"Go on," I said petulantly. "We can't afford to hang around here very
long if we count on finding a hiding-place in the city, and that is
only one of the country people who wants to sell his mule."

"I reckon we'll wait a bit," Darius replied firmly. "Unless I'm way
out of my reckonin', yonder man was in the fight, an' has scooped up
one of the baggage-wagon mules to help him along."

"But our party is too big for safety now, and what will it be if we
allow every straggler to trail on behind? We might as well follow the
other fugitives."

All this I said like a peevish child, and no sooner had I ceased
speaking than Darius seized me by the shoulder, forcing me to turn
until I had a full view of the newcomer.

"Look at the man," the sailor cried sternly, "an' then say whether you
will allow every straggler to trail on behind us when the road is as
free to one as another?"

In an instant I was covered with confusion and remorse. The man to
whose company I had objected was none other than my own father, and as
he approached I could see that he was wounded in the right leg.

There was nothing I could say just then to show my comrades how deeply
I regretted having spoken in such a tone, therefore I ran forward to
greet him who, a moment previous, I had been eager to leave behind.

My comrades joined me as I saluted my father much more warmly than I
might have done but for the unkind words I had spoken, and in a few
seconds we heard all the story he could tell.

He had been wounded quite severely during the early part of the
battle, and went to the rear in search of the surgeons. Failing to
find those whose duty it was to be near the scene of action, and
unable to walk any further owing to loss of blood, he laid down under
one of the baggage-wagons which had been used to transport ammunition.

Here he bandaged his wound as well as possible, and was about to set
out once more in search of aid, when the final retreat was ordered.
Unable to walk, he would soon have been made a prisoner, or, perhaps,
in the heat of the moment, received worse treatment, when the idea of
escaping on one of the mules occurred to him.