Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 176: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LOOKING INTO HIS OWN GRAVE. 169 CHAPTER XXXII. LOOKING INTO HIS OWN GRAVE. We must not lose sight of Captain Royal Chet- - wood in dwelling upon army movements. He has occupied a prominent place in our war drama, and will continue to do so to the close. When he was taken to the rear in charge of six of Mosby’s rough riders, the young captain felt anyway but happy. His situation was not a pleasant one, the reader will admit. He did not fear his guard, but well knowing the unscrupulous character of Colonel Trafton, he real- ized that only his death would satisfy the brevet-colo- nel from South Carolina. | ‘‘T must escape !’’ This was what the Union captain decided upon, but it is often easier to plan than to execute. Resolv- — ing and doing are widely separated. At least half a mile in the rear of the field where fighting was going on, the Confederate cavalrymen passed, then turned to the left and entered the woods that grew profusely along the edge of a field. Beside a gurgling brook a moss-grown rock reared its head, and here the cavalry squad came to a halt to await the return of their leader. They had not long to wait, not so long as they ex- peated. In less than twenty minutes after entering the woods, Captain Chetwood saw several horsemen ap- proaching. | The captain had been lifted from the saddle, and “comicbooks. co