"But they'll catch you too! Come, Tom, up chimney with you, and I'll follow. If any one attempts to follow us, I'll shoot him with my pistol. Be in a hurry, Tom! We have no time to spare," urged Somers, driving the coward before him towards the fire-place. "You go up fust," pleaded Tom, in mortal terror of the revolver. "Up with you, or I'll blow your brains out!" added Somers in a low, fierce tone, which frightened his companion half out of his wits. "Don't fire, and I will," replied the wretch, as he stepped into the fire-place, and commenced the ascent of the chimney. "Up with you!" repeated Somers. "Now, if you attempt to come down, I'll shoot you." The voice of the farmer, leading the soldiers to their prey, was now heard close to the house; and Somers deemed it prudent no longer to remain in the room. Darting out into the entry, he made his way to the cellar, closing the door behind him just as the rebels were about to enter. "Where is he?" demanded the sergeant, who belonged to the battery at the works near the house. "In this room," replied the farmer, putting his hand on the door of the apartment where he had seen the victim lie down to sleep an hour before. "But yer must be keerful with him. He had a pistol, and mebbe he mought shoot some on us." "We aren't afraid of all the Yankees this side of the north pole," added the sergeant, as he pushed the door open and entered the room, followed by his squad of soldiers. "Where is he? There aren't no Yankee here." "Well, he was here an hour ago," said the farmer. "See here, old man, if you've been makin' a fool of us this hot day, I'll spit you on my bayonet. We heard that a deserter and a Yankee had been taken, and that the cavalry lost one of them." "That was the Yankee. They lost him, and I found him ag'in." "Where is he, then?" "He aren't far from here," said the farmer, walking up to the fire-place, and pointing up the chimney, where he had no doubt the victim had retired when he heard the soldiers approaching. "Up there?" "That's where the feller hid when the troopers was lookin' fur him; and yer kin be sure he's up there now. But yer must be keerful; fur he's got a pistol, and is a mighty savage fellow." "We'll soon bring him down," added the sergeant as he stepped into the fire-place, and looked up the chimney. "I see him; but he's half way up to the top. I reckon we can smoke him out best. Come, old man, take some of this pitch-wood, that will make a big smoke, and kindle a fire." "We'll soon have him," said the farmer as he obeyed the order. "I say, Yank!" shouted the sergeant up the chimney; "if you don't want to be smoked out, come down." No answer came to this polite suggestion; and then one of the soldiers proposed to fire his musket up the chimney; which so terrified the occupant thereof, that he begged for mercy. "Don't shoot, and I'll come down!" groaned the wretch. "The cowardly Yank! He's like all the rest of them. Come down quick, then!"