ranches and small settlements, the writer pushed and directed the search all of the way without any further developments-- Occasionally the detachments were signalled in to the road-- Cleburne was reached at dark after a terribly hard ride, the storm still continuing, with a lull in the wind but growing colder-- Securing the services of the Deputy Sheriff--we made a thorough search up to one o'clock but with no results. A Sleepless Night--The Gettysburg "Johnny" At 3 o'clock A. M. having sent the Corporal to bed and placed the men in bivouac in the edge of the town, the writer, having secured a small map of Texas, was seated in front of a log fire diligently studying the situation-- The deserters must surely be somewhere in the near vicinity-- They were certainly not in Cleburne-- Where had they disappeared to after leaving Weatherford? Many roads and trails led out of Cleburne--some towards the railroads-- No mistake must be made-- A sudden inspiration seized me-- I woke up the Corporal-- "Corporal, find me a two seated carriage or conveyance of some kind with driver--'rake' the town--and get it here as soon as possible; rout out the detachment--and report yourself mounted to me at the same time"-- "Never mind the expense"! In about 30 minutes Charlton was there with a closely curtained-in two-seated carriage, carry-all, or Texas "hack", with two mules, and a _one-legged driver_; also the entire detachment mounted-- Amazement was on the faces of all-- What was the play?-- What was the game being "pulled off" by the "Old Man"? "Corporal Charlton, take your carbine and pistol and get in the front seat with the driver"--and turning to the other Corporal--(Jones)--"You will take our two led horses--and follow this 'hack'--never losing touch with it--but always remaining as much as possible out of sight--about a mile or two in the rear--concealing yourself as much as possible by the timber-- Keep your eyes on this 'hack'--_one flash_ of my handkerchief and you will drop further back out of sight if it is open country; two flashes, and you are to come up with your detachment and our led horses at a run--remember, and always keep out of sight as much as possible"-- We moved out on the Hillsboro road--inquiries were made all along but with no satisfactory results-- We scoured the settlements, ranches and side trails but without avail-- We had had a description given us, however, of a certain two-horse team--with a number of men in it, which partially filled the bill-- Feeling perfectly sure that they were breaking for the railroad, either at Corsicana or Waxahatchie--yet it was feared that we were on the wrong road-- The driver of our conveyance, or "dug out", it seemed, had been a confederate soldier, and had lost a leg at Gettysburg in the desperate charge of Longstreet's Corps on July 2--upon the "Round Tops" and the "Peach Orchard"-- He had belonged to the Fifth Texas, Robertson's "Texas Brigade", Hood's Division, and strange to record had