Part 19 (1/2)
”You can take care of yourselves,” answered the young captain, and rushi+ng over to the trap-door he let hie into the water, but the stream here was less than four feet deep, and he followed Major Morris and the woundedcame from overhead, followed by a storm of words from both rebels and deserters, and also fro the rebels was a nepheho at once came to her aid, and had the two deserters from the American army made prisoners
”We had better put a little distance between ourselves and that ested Major Morris, as all three shook the water froarments
”How is it? are you badly wounded?” asked Ben, turning to their newly o ahead,” said the soldier ”It's rather painful, though”
”We'll take care of it for you at the first chance we get,” added Ben; and then the three set off at a brisk pace along the strearove in which they felt they would be coer
As the rove nothing disturbed them but the huht bird
Lighting a match, Ben examined the man's wound and bound it up with thebeen left behind with the Spanish woer said that his name was Barton Brownell
”I have been a prisoner of the insurgents for some time,” he said, when asked to tell his story ”I was captured just before our troops took Malolos They had six prisoners all told, and they took us to a place called Guinalo, which is probably forty miles from here, and up in the mountains”
”While you were a prisoner did you see or hear anything of a Lieutenant Caspard?” asked Major Morris, quickly
”To be sure I did!” burst out Barton Brownell ”He came to see ents, and he wanted me to join them, too But I told him I would rot first,” added the wounded man, and his firmness showed that he meant what he said
”And was Caspard in the field with the rebels?”
”Yes He was hand in glove with General Luna and the other rebel leaders, and I think he had turned over soes from General Otis's headquarters to the rebels But, candidly speaking, I think Lieutenant Caspard is somewhat off in his head Once he came to me and said that if only I and the other prisoners would join hi of blood inside of a week”
”He must be crazy, to join the rebels,” put in Ben ”Does he hold any position under them?”
”They call him _capitan_, but if he has such a position, it isto suspect that he is not quite right in his mind But still they love to hear hiood bit of what he says, like so many children”
For the moment Major Morris was silent Then he turned to Ben ”Our mission seems to have come to a sudden end,” he said ”Brownell can tell Colonel Darcy all he wants to know” And he related to the escaped prisoner the reason for their co beyond the American lines
”Yes, I reckon I can tell the colonel well enough,” answered Barton Brownell ”For I saw Caspard often, as I mentioned before, and he never knehat it was to keep his tongue fro”
”And how did you escape?” asked Ben, with interest
”In a very funny way,” and the soldier laughed ”As I said before, ere kept up in the e cave There were six of our troop, but all told the prisoners nuuard of four rebels to keep us fro, and an old woly, used to cook our food for us--and the food was hty scanty, I can tell you that
”Well, one day two of the guards went off, leaving the old woe There had been a raid of souards had some fiery liquor which ot ry than ever when one of the guards refused to get her a pail of water froet the water,low to her, and would you believe it, she et her the water”
”And the water hasn't arrived yet,” said Major Morris, laughing
”No, the water hasn't arrived yet,” answered Barton Brownell ”As soon as I reached the spring I dropped the pail and ran for all I orth, and hid in the brush along the mountain side I stayed there two days and nearly starved to death Then they hunted me out, and I received this wound But I escaped thele and over the rice-fields to here, and here I aht prisoners all told,” cried Ben ”Did you ever hear anything of my brother, Larry Russell?”