The Blue Balloon: A Tale of the Shenandoah ValleyHorsley, Reginald
History
The Blue Balloon: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley
Horsley, Reginald
Adventure stories; Balloons -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction
He shuddered violently. He was not exaggerating. The impression made
upon him by his adventures in the air had been supreme. It had taken
fast hold of some corner of his brain in a manner which perhaps the
doctors could explain, and whenever imagination or memory called it
forth, it threatened to unman him.
Ephraim considered him curiously. He could not understand the almost
simultaneous exhibition of such opposite states of mind. However, he had
wit enough to let the subject drop, and only answered: ‘Waal, we won’t
talk about thet any more; I guess it’s over now. See hyar, Luce, I think
our best plan will be to make fer thet little cabin agen and lie low
thar till evenin’, when we kin make a break fer our lines.’
‘I don’t think that we ought to venture into that loft a second time,’
said Lucius. ‘If the general caught us there again and recognised you,
there would be trouble.’
‘Thar would, shore enuff,’ agreed Ephraim; ‘but ye misonderstand me,
Luce. I didn’t mean to hide in the loft, but ter walk right inter the
cabin, lie down and take a snooze till it gits dark enuff ter be orf. Ef
any one comes in we kin jest walk out agin. We kin always say we’re
makin’ fer our lines.’
‘I see,’ said Lucius. ‘Very well. Besides, it doesn’t follow that the
general will return. But are you sure that you can find your way there?’
‘Why wouldn’t we?’ returned Ephraim. ‘It’s on this side er the wood, and
not so far away et thet. Come on.’
They hugged the edge of the wood, and after walking for twenty minutes
or so, again reached the clearing in which the log cabin stood. No one
was in sight; but still, instead of approaching it from the open side,
they preferred to skirt the wood a little further and reconnoitre
through the window in case of accidents.
At last they stood opposite to the window, and here Ephraim pulled
Lucius back.
‘You stay hyar, Luce,’ he said. ‘I’ll go forward and see ef the coast is
cl’ar.’
‘Not at all,’ answered Lucius; ‘you’re always doing that sort of thing.
I’ll go for a change.’
‘No, lemme go,’ protested Ephraim. ‘What’s the use er runnin’ yerself
inter danger ’thout any reason?’
‘The danger is the same for you as for me,’ retorted Lucius. ‘I tell you
I am going.’
‘Then we’ll both go,’ said Ephraim decidedly, and accordingly they went.
Cautiously approaching the window, they peeped in and surveyed the
cabin. To their great relief it was empty; but before Lucius knew what
he was about, Ephraim stole quietly round the hut and surveyed the open
space.
‘It’s all cl’ar, Luce,’ he said in a tone of satisfaction. ‘I don’t see
nary a Yank. They’re not fur orf, though, fer the camp is jest beyond
the woods thar.’
‘Then shall we go in here?’ asked Lucius. ‘You think that is the best
thing to do?’
‘I reckon,’ returned Ephraim laconically, and slipped in through the
window by way of illustration. ‘By time!’ he exclaimed when he was
fairly in, ‘thar’s been some one in hyar sence we made tracks out er
it.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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