“‘While I’m keepin’ him company on this retreat, I reflects that even if I downs him, the war would go on jest the same; it wouldn’t stop the rebellion none, nor gain the South her independence.  The more I considers, too, the war looks bigger an’ the life of this flyin’ Yank looks smaller.  Likewise, it occurs to me that he’s headed no’th.  If he keeps up his gait an’ don’t turn or twist he’ll have quitted Southern territory by the end of the week.

“‘After makin’ a complete round-up of the sityooation I begins to lose interest in this Yank; an’ at last I leaves him, racin’ along alone.  By way of stim’lant, as I pauses I cracks off a couple of loads outen my six-shooter into the air.  They has a excellent effect; from the jump the Yank makes at the sound I can see the shots puts ten miles more run into him shore.  He keeps up his gallop ontil he’s out of sight, an’ I never after feasts my eyes on him.

“‘Which I regyards your conduct, Major, as mighty hoomane,’ says Dan Boggs, raisin’ his glass p’litely.  ‘I approves of it, partic’lar.’

“The Major meets Dan’s attentions in the sperit they’re proposed.  After a moment Enright speaks of them cannons.

“But you-all got a battery final, Major?’ says Enright.

“‘Six brass guns,’ says the Major, an’ his gray eyes beams an’ he speaks of ’em like they was six beautiful women.  ’Six brass guns, they be,’ he says.  We captured ’em from the enemy an’ I’m put in command.  Gents, I’ve witnessed some successes personal, but I never sees the day when I’m as satisfied an’ as contentedly proud as when I finds myse’f in command of them six brass guns.  I was like a lover to every one of ’em.

“’I’m that headlong to get action—­we’re in middle Loosiana at the time—­that I hauls a couple of ’em over by the Mississippi an’ goes prowlin’ ’round ontil I pulls on trouble with a little Yankee gun boat.  It lasts two hours, an’ I shore sinks that naval outfit an’ piles the old Mississippi on top of ’em.  I’m so puffed up with this yere exploit that a pigeon looks all sunk in an’ consumptif beside me.

“’Thar’s one feacher of this dooel with the little gun boat which displeases me, however.  Old Butler’s got Noo Orleans at the time, an’ among other things he’s editin’ the papers.  I reads in one of ’em a month later about me sinkin’ that scow.  It says I’m a barb’rous villain, the story does, an’ shoots up the boat after it surrenders, an’ old Butler allows he’ll hang me a whole lot the moment ever he gets them remarkable eyes onto me.  I don’t care none at the time much, only I resents this yere charge.  I shore never fires a shot at that gunboat after it gives up; I ain’t so opulent of amm’nition as all that.  As time goes on, however, thar’s a day when I’m goin’ to take the determination of old Butler more to heart.

“‘Followin’ the gun-boat eepisode I’m more locoed than ever to get my battery into a fight.  An’ at last I has my hopes entirely fulfilled.  It’s about four o’clock one evenin’ when we caroms on about three brigades of Yanks.  Thar’s mebby twelve thousand of us rebs an’ all of fourteen thousand of the Lincoln people.  My battery is all the big guns we-all has, while said Yanks is strong with six full batteries.