e longer to cut a road through the woods to the
road than it would to wallow through the mud to the road."

"But there is a by-road through the woods to the main road."

"I am a total stranger here, and I did not know there was even a path
through the woods," added the lieutenant from Ohio, as the
quartermaster-sergeant rolled the rope out of the wagon.

Deck called his men, who had been thoroughly rested by their stay in
the woods, whether they needed it or not. The long rope was uncoiled;
and Life was directed to make the two ends of it fast to the end of the
pole, and pass it out through the three pairs of mules. Sixty men were
detailed to man the rope in two lines. This required a part of the
escort, and the rest of it were ordered to stand by the wheels. The
negro driver of the first wagon was told by Life to go to the rear end
and push; but this was done only to get him out of the way, for his
brutality had disgusted both the lieutenant and the sergeant, as both
of them believed in kindness to animals. They had seen the beatings
bestowed on the animals before; and Deck, looking through his glass,
was satisfied that the mules did not pull a pound under the beating.
Perhaps they were disgusted with the failure of their efforts to move
the wagon, as well as by the blows heaped upon them.

Life patted them on the neck, and coaxed them, and he certainly
succeeded in bringing them to a good-natured condition of mind.

"Now, boys, straighten out them ropes!" shouted Life to the soldiers
who manned them. "Pull steady for all you're wuth! Now, my beauties!
Hi! now! Come, my beauties!" said he, taking the nigh head leader by
the head, and leading him along.

To the astonishment of the men looking on, this mule made a flying leap
nearly out of his harness, and then pulled as steadily as a
well-trained horse; and the rest of the team followed his example. Life
seemed to have some hypnotic power over a horse, and it appeared that
he had the same influence over the mules. The men tugged at the rope,
and the wagon was hauled out of the mire.

"Keep it moving!" shouted Deck. "If you stop, it will mire again. Keep
it a-going!"

The men seemed to regard the work as a sort of enjoyable farce; and
they cheered each other along, and some of them took to singing. They
did not seem to be exerting all their strength, but the wagon moved
along at quite a lively pace. If they had stopped two minutes, the
wheels would have sunk dow