meaning; and though thy manly form is now mouldering in an early grave, thy memory shall live forever among the records of the brave in that great book in heaven, if not on earth.

From my position, at the foot of a small pine tree, I could not obtain a very good glimpse of the country before me. Accordingly I clambered into the branches of the tree, and by parting them before me, I could obtain an unobstructed view —that is, as well as the darkness would permit. The form of the sentinel was just discernible through the gloom, pacing back and forth upon his lonely beat. But suddenly it stopped. I stretched my ears to listen, and distinctly I heard the low words,

"Who goes there?"

A long moment of breathless suspense followed. I expected to see Cox spring suddenly from the earth upon his foe; but not the slightest sound betrayed his proximity. Leaving his gun "half cocked," the rebel continued his walk; and in a few moments he again stopped and demanded,

66 Who goes there?"

Twice this was repeated; and the last time the sentinel moved forward to the spot from whence he supposed the mysterious sound proceeded. Scarcely had he done so, when a dark form sprung upon him from one side, and a glittering knife entered his heart with the rapidity of lightning. It was Cox, the scout; and arraying himself in the dead man's clothes, he pushed the body under some bushes, and took his post. So quickly had this change been wrought, that, had my eyes been turned during the transaction, and then turned back again, I could not have told the difference between the two sentinels.

It was now about eleven o'clock. At twelve the relief guard came, and with mingling emotions of joy and fear, I beheld Cox march back to their camp, while another person took his place. I soon lost sight of him in the deep wood, and then anxiously awaited his return.

I believe I have not fully stated the cause of this perilous mission as yet, but as I am now at leisure, I will do so.

A rumor-whether to be believed or not I did not knowwas beginning to circulate in the camp, to the effect that a celebrated guerilla colonel, named with a force of five

hundred men, was to march through the upper country of Mississippi on a grand foraging expedition, and obtain enough provision, etc., to last them through the winter. In order to do this, it would be necessary for them to come in uncomfortable proximity to our little band of one hundred sharpshooters, especially when we were unprepared for them. So our colonel appointed me and any companion I might choose to go up the Yazoo river to their camp, and by a dint of cautious manœuvering, obtain such intelligence as I could relative to the report, so that he might be prepared. I started at once, as the reader is aware; but before we landed, Cox made me promise him that he should do the spying, etc., urging as a decisive plea, that he was better acquainted with the country than I.

see.

So far all went well; how was it to end? We shall

One long hour was dwindling away, but I had neither seen or heard any thing from Cox. The fear that he had been discovered and imprisoned came over me; and so strong did it become, that I left my perch and dropped to the ground noiselessly. At the foot of the tree I waited nearly half an hour, until chafed with a feverish impatience, I could stand it no longer, but determined to go and hunt him up. Cautiously, very cautiously, I left the spot, crawling on my hands and knees towards the sentinel. For a long time I did not even look up to see where I was going; my mind was filled with a thousand bitter fancies, and I cursed myself over and over again for letting Cox go alone. In this way I went forward until I thought I was pretty close to the sentinel; but when I lifted my head to see him, judge of my surprise to behold himgone! But while I was ruminating upon this strange event,

a rustling in the bushes close by me startled me. In an instant it flashed upon me that he had seen me, and was playing the same game; so I crouched close down beneath a clump of elders, and awaited his coming. In a few moments he came feeling carefully along; and when he was directly opposite me, I sprang out and confronted him. We clenched; there

was a deadly struggle, a groan, a gasp; and then I rose from the dead body of the sentinel with a small flesh wound in the

arm.

Again I made my way forward, and this time towards the camp fires of the enemy, which were in plain sight, about a quarter of a mile distant, and through a small piece of woods. As there was no sentinel between me and the fires, I rose to an upright position, and continued on until the one within the shadow of the woods became visible; then I resumed the creeping posture as before. In a few moments I came upon a slight eminence covered with low underbrush, and once on the top, I plainly beheld the camp of the rebels. It was not very large, considering the number of its occupants, and was situated in a large depression at the entrance of the grove, instead of beyond it, as I had supposed; two fires had been built in front of the officers' tents, and around were congregated quite a number of men, among them Col.

I saw an immense deal of gesticulating and running here and there, heard several angry, contending voices, and noted that it seemed to be centered upon one person, who sat in the midst of the crowd. As they were all about him, I had no opportunity to "sight" him; but suddenly they parted as if a thunderbolt had fallen in their midst, and as they did so, the light fell upon the stern features of Samuel Cox. He had been discovered, and they were trying him as a spy. The cause of the sudden starting soon became apparent. Cox had sprung to his feet, holding a revolver in one hand, and with the other he swept up the contents of a small deal table, by which were seated the rebel colonel, a captain, and a lieutenant, thrust them into his bosom, and with a regular Indian

yell, dashed through the astonished crowd, over the bushy ground, directly towards me.

Seeing the exciting state of affairs, I sprang to an upright position, and shouted, "This way, Sam; this way; I'll back you."

He saw me, and as he came up, he gave me the papers, saying:

"Take 'em, lieutenant; they are the plans, etc., of the rebels. If I fall, you can carry them to our colonel; tell him how I died."

"Don't go under now, Cox," I replied, cheerfully. "See, they are after us; come, follow me," and as I spoke, I darted away-Samuel close behind-followed by a crowd of mad, yelling demons.

The sentinel fired a shot at us, likewise the crowd, which had no effect save a few whistling balls by our ears, as I could see. One, two, and three long miles of the forest flew beneath our feet, and as I had taken the direction of our canoe, of the dark river soon burst upon our sight.

Dashing down to the spot where lay the canoe, we jumped in, and were soon pulling down the river, the ashen oars bending until they almost snapped beneath the pressure.

Our pursuers came running down to the bank, where we were last seen, to find their prey gone, just as we turned a bend in the river. All their important maps, plans, etc., were in the hands of their enemy, and taken from their very midst by a daring spy!

They returned in chagrin, and no very amiable mood, to their deserted camp.

"Let me do the rowing, Cox; you are tired from excitement and running, if nothing else. Our pursuers have gone back, so there is no danger," said I, after we were nearly a mile on our journey. "You are very pale; come now, sit in the stern while I row."

He obeyed, mechanically, sitting down in the small stern

of the canoe, which I was propelling through the water, at a leisurely speed.

Suddenly his pale face assumed a ghastly hue; and his breath came quick and short, while he gasped forth the words: "Lieutenant, row hard! hard! harder! I must reach the camp before I die. O God! row hard, W."

"Die! what mean you?" I asked, with unfeigned astonish

ment.

"One of those bullets went clear through my breast, and I am dying. I have stood up against death as long as I can. O Lucy, my wife, my wife !" was Cox's reply.

Reader, did I bend those ashen oars any? or was the canoe more than twenty-five minutes in going over the intervening four miles? Ask the grand old trees along the river bank, what lone canoe shot past them like a meteor, on that night; or, ask the sharpshooters of Colonel M's division in the Army of the West, at what terrific speed the little vessel shot up to the bank, ploughing up the gravel in its headlong career. Reader, I believe I rowed some that fatal night.

Beneath a stately oak, that grew a few rods from the river bank, lay the dying spy, Samuel Cox. His curly head was pillowed by a knapsack, while a spread blanket formed the only bed that we had for him. The sharpshooters were standing around, some weeping, and others viewing their comrade with sorrowful countenances; a minister was kneeling beside the scout, offering up a heartfelt prayer in his behalf, while our surgeon was bathing his temples with water, thus easing him in his last moments.

It was a scene worthy of the pencil of Raphael or Scott. When the chaplain ceased, Cox rose to a sitting posture, and, in feeble tones, addressed a few encouraging words to his friends. Said he, at the conclusion, pointing to me:

"Do not blame him for anything whatever. He gave me my own way in the matter; it is not his fault."

Here he stopped for breath, and then proceeded in short sentences: