ame tearing over. Bang! again, and bang! bang! and more shells
exploding. Pow! pow! what consternation! In an instant the beautiful
line melted away as by magic. Every man took to shelter, and the place
was desolate. The firing was rapid, regular, and apparently aimed to
strike the Confederate lines, but ceased as suddenly as it had begun.
General Custis Lee, whose tent was near by, observing the panic, stepped
quietly up to the parapet of the works, folded his arms, and walked back
and forth without uttering a word or looking to the right or to the
left. His cool behavior, coupled with the silence of the guns, soon
reassured the trembling clerks, and one by one they dropped into line
again. General Butler had heard some news that pleased him, and ordered
a salute with shotted guns. That was all.

Two boys who had volunteered for service with the militia in the same
neighborhood, were detailed for picket duty. It was the custom to put
three men on each post,--two militia boys and one veteran. The boys and
an old soldier of Johnston's division were marched to their post, where
they found, ready dug, a pit about five feet deep and three feet wide.
It was quite dark, and the boys, realizing fully their exposed position,
at once occupied the pit. The old soldier saw he had an opportunity to
have a good time, knowing that those boys would keep wide awake. Giving
them a short lecture about the importance of great watchfulness, he
warned them to be ready to leave there very rapidly at any moment, and,
above all, to keep very quiet. His words were wasted, as the boys would
not have closed their eyes or uttered a word for the world. These little
details arranged, the cunning old soldier prepared to make himself
comfortable. First he gathered a few small twigs and made a _very small_
fire. On the fire he put a battered old tin cup. Into this he poured
some coffee from his canteen. From some mysterious place in his clothes
he drew forth sugar and dropped it into the cup. Next, from an old worn
haversack, he took a "chunk" of raw bacon and a "pone" of corn bread.
Then, drawing a large pocket knife, in a dexterous manner he sliced and
ate his bread and meat, occasionally sipping his coffee. His evening
meal leisurely completed, he filled his pipe, smoked, and stirred up the
imaginations of the boys by telling how dangerous a duty they were
performing; told them how easy it would be for the Yankees to creep up
and shoot them or captur