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Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 755

Ajith Abraham · Paramartha Dutta

Jyotsna Kumar Mandal
Abhishek Bhattacharya · Soumi Dutta
Editors

Emerging
Technologies
in Data Mining
and Information
Security
Proceedings of IEMIS 2018, Volume 1
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Volume 755

Series editor
Janusz Kacprzyk, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: kacprzyk@ibspan.waw.pl
The series “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” contains publications on theory,
applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all
disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics,
business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the
areas of modern intelligent systems and computing such as: computational intelligence, soft computing
including neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing and the fusion of these paradigms,
social intelligence, ambient intelligence, computational neuroscience, artificial life, virtual worlds and
society, cognitive science and systems, Perception and Vision, DNA and immune based systems,
self-organizing and adaptive systems, e-Learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric
computing, recommender systems, intelligent control, robotics and mechatronics including
human-machine teaming, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms, machine ethics, intelligent
data analysis, knowledge management, intelligent agents, intelligent decision making and support,
intelligent network security, trust management, interactive entertainment, Web intelligence and multimedia.
The publications within “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” are primarily proceedings
of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the
field, both of a foundational and applicable character. An important characteristic feature of the series is
the short publication time and world-wide distribution. This permits a rapid and broad dissemination of
research results.

Advisory Board
Chairman
Nikhil R. Pal, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
e-mail: nikhil@isical.ac.in
Members
Rafael Bello Perez, Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Santa Clara, Cuba
e-mail: rbellop@uclv.edu.cu
Emilio S. Corchado, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
e-mail: escorchado@usal.es
Hani Hagras, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
e-mail: hani@essex.ac.uk
László T. Kóczy, Széchenyi István University, Győr, Hungary
e-mail: koczy@sze.hu
Vladik Kreinovich, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, USA
e-mail: vladik@utep.edu
Chin-Teng Lin, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
e-mail: ctlin@mail.nctu.edu.tw
Jie Lu, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
e-mail: Jie.Lu@uts.edu.au
Patricia Melin, Tijuana Institute of Technology, Tijuana, Mexico
e-mail: epmelin@hafsamx.org
Nadia Nedjah, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
e-mail: nadia@eng.uerj.br
Ngoc Thanh Nguyen, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
e-mail: Ngoc-Thanh.Nguyen@pwr.edu.pl
Jun Wang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
e-mail: jwang@mae.cuhk.edu.hk

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11156

Ajith Abraham Paramartha Dutta
•

Jyotsna Kumar Mandal Abhishek Bhattacharya

•

Soumi Dutta
Editors

Emerging Technologies
in Data Mining
and Information Security
Proceedings of IEMIS 2018, Volume 1

123
Editors
Ajith Abraham Abhishek Bhattacharya
Machine Intelligence Research Labs Institute of Engineering and Management
Auburn, WA, USA Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Paramartha Dutta Soumi Dutta

Department of Computer and Systems Institute of Engineering and Management
Sciences Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Visva-Bharati University
Santiniketan, West Bengal, India

Jyotsna Kumar Mandal

Department of Computer Science
and Engineering
University of Kalyani
Kalyani, India

ISSN 2194-5357 ISSN 2194-5365 (electronic)

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
ISBN 978-981-13-1950-1 ISBN 978-981-13-1951-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1951-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018950802

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Organizing Committee

Patron
Prof. (Dr.) Satyajit Chakrabarti, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Conference General Chair

Dr. Bimal Kumar Roy, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India

Convener
Dr. Subrata Saha, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Abhishek Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Co-convener
Sukalyan Goswami, University of Engineering and Management, India
Krishnendu Rarhi, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Soumi Dutta, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Sujata Ghatak, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Abir Chatterjee, University of Engineering and Management, India

Key Note Speakers

Dr. Ajith Abraham, Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs), USA
Dr. Fredric M. Ham, IEEE Life Fellow, SPIE Fellow, and INNS Fellow, USA
Dr. Sheng-Lung Peng, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan
Dr. Shaikh Fattah, Editor, IEEE Access and CSSP (Springer), Bangladesh
Dr. Detlef Streitferdt, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany
Dr. Swagatam Das, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
Dr. Niloy Ganguly, IIT Kharagpur, India

v
vi Organizing Committee

Dr. K. K. Shukla, IIT (BHU.), Varanasi, India

Dr. Nilanjan Dey, Techno India College of Technology, Kolkata, India

Technical Program Committee Chair

Dr. J. K. Mondal, University of Kalyani, India
Dr. Paramartha Dutta, Visva-Bharati University, India
Abhishek Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Technical Program Committee Co-chair

Dr. Satyajit Chakrabarti, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Subrata Saha, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Kamakhya Prasad Ghatak, University of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Asit Kumar Das, IIEST, Shibpur, India

Editorial Board
Dr. Ajith Abraham, Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs), USA
Dr. J. K. Mondal, University of Kalyani, India
Dr. Paramartha Dutta, Visva-Bharati University, India
Abhishek Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Soumi Dutta, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Advisory Committee
Dr. Mahmoud Shafik, University of Derby
Dr. Mohd Nazri Ismail, National Defence University of Malaysia
Dr. Bhaba R. Sarker, Louisiana State University
Dr. Tushar Kanti Bera, University of Arizona, USA
Dr. Shirley Devapriya Dewasurendra, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Dr. Goutam Chakraborty, Professor and Head of the Intelligent Informatics Lab,
Iwate Prefectural University, Japan
Dr. Basabi Chakraborty, Iwate Prefectural University, Japan
Dr. Kalyanmoy Deb, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA
Dr. Vincenzo Piuri, University of Milan, Italy
Dr. Biswajit Sarkar, Hanyang University, Korea
Dr. Raj Kumar Buyya, The University of Melbourne
Dr. Anurag Dasgupta, Valdosta State University, Georgia
Dr. Prasenjit Mitra, The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Esteban Alfaro-Cortés, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Dr. Ilkyeong Moon, Seoul National University, South Korea
Dr. Izabela Nielsen, Aalborg University, Denmark
Organizing Committee vii

Dr. Prasanta K. Jana, IEEE Senior Member, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM),
Dhanbad
Dr. Gautam Paul, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Dr. Malay Bhattacharyya, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. Sipra Das Bit, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. Jaya Sil, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. Asit Kumar Das, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. Saptarshi Ghosh, IIEST, Shibpur, IIT KGP
Dr. Prof. Hafizur Rahman, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. C. K. Chanda, IIEST, Shibpur
Dr. Asif Ekbal, Associate Dean, IIT Patna
Dr. Sitangshu Bhattacharya, IIIT Allahabad
Dr. Ujjwal Bhattacharya, CVPR Unit, Indian Statistical Institute
Dr. Prashant R. Nair, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (University), Coimbatore
Dr. Tanushyam Chattopadhyay, TCS Innovation Lab, Kolkata
Dr. A. K. Nayak, Fellow and Hony. Secretarý, CSI
Dr. B. K. Tripathy, VIT University
Dr. K. Srujan Raju, CMR Technical Campus
Dr. Dakshina Ranjan Kisku, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur
Dr. A. K. Pujari, University of Hyderabad
Dr. Partha Pratim Sahu, Tezpur University
Dr. Anuradha Banerjee, Kalyani Government Engineering College
Dr. Amiya Kumar Rath, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology
Dr. Kandarpa Kumar Sharma, Gauhati University
Dr. Amlan Chakrabarti, University of Calcutta
Dr. Sankhayan Choudhury, University of Calcutta
Dr. Anjana Kakoti Mahanta, Gauhati University
Dr. Subhankar Bandyopadhyay, Jadavpur University
Dr. Debabrata Ghosh, Calcutta University
Dr. Rajat Kr. Pal, University of Calcutta
Dr. Ujjwal Maulik, Jadavpur University
Dr. Himadri Dutta, Kalyani Government Engineering College, Kalyani
Dr. Brojo Kishore Mishra, C. V. Raman College of Engineering (Autonomous),
Bhubaneswar
Dr. S. Vijayakumar Bharathi, Symbiosis Centre for Information Technology (SCIT)
Dr. Govinda K., VIT University, Vellore
Dr. Ajanta Das, University of Engineering and Management, India

Technical Committee
Dr. Vincenzo Piuri, University of Milan, Italy
Dr. Mahmoud Shafik, University of Derby
Dr. Bhaba Sarker, Louisiana State University
Dr. Mohd Nazri Ismail, National Defence University of Malaysia
viii Organizing Committee

Dr. Tushar Kanti Bera, Yonsei University, Seoul

Dr. Birjodh Tiwana, LinkedIn, San Francisco, California
Dr. Saptarshi Ghosh, IIEST, Shibpur, IIT KGP
Dr. Srimanta Bhattacharya, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Dr. Loingtam Surajkumar Singh, NIT Manipur
Dr. Sitangshu Bhattacharya, IIIT Allahabad
Dr. Sudhakar Tripathi, NIT Patna
Dr. Chandan K. Chanda, IIEST Shibpur
Dr. Dakshina Ranjan Kisku, NIT Durgapur
Dr. Asif Ekbal, IIT Patna
Dr. Prasant Bharadwaj, NIT Agartala
Dr. Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Hijli College Kharagpur, India, and Regional Student
Coordinator, Region II, Computer Society of India
Dr. G. Suseendran, Vels University, Chennai, India
Dr. Sumanta Sarkar, Department of Computer Science of University of Calgary
Dr. Manik Sharma, Assistant Professor, DAV University, Jalandhar
Dr. Rita Choudhury, Gauhati University
Dr. Kuntala Patra, Gauhati University
Dr. Helen K. Saikia, Gauhati University
Dr. Debasish Bhattacharjee, Gauhati University
Dr. Somenath Sarkar, University of Calcutta
Dr. Sankhayan Choudhury, University of Calcutta
Dr. Debasish De, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology
Dr. Buddha Deb Pradhan, National Institute of Technology Durgapur
Dr. Shankar Chakraborty, Jadavpur University
Dr. Durgesh Kumar Mishra, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Technology, Indore,
Madhya Pradesh
Dr. Angsuman Sarkar, Secretary, IEEE EDS Kolkata Chapter and Kalyani
Government Engineering College
Dr. A. M. Sudhakara, University of Mysore
Dr. Indrajit Saha, National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research,
Kolkata
Dr. Bikash Santra, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)
Dr. Ram Sarkar, Jadavpur University
Dr. Priya Ranjan Sinha Mahapatra, Kalyani University
Dr. Avishek Adhikari, University of Calcutta
Dr. Jyotsna Kumar Mandal, Kalyani University
Dr. Manas Kumar Sanyal, Kalyani University
Dr. Atanu Kundu, Chairman, IEEE EDS, Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata
Dr. Chintan Kumar Mandal, Jadavpur University
Dr. Kartick Chandra Mondal, Jadavpur University
Mr. Debraj Chatterjee, Manager, Capgemini
Mr. Gourav Dutta, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Dr. Soumya Sen, University of Calcutta
Dr. Soumen Kumar Pati, St. Thomas College of Engineering and Technology
Organizing Committee ix

Mrs. Sunanda Das, Neotia Institute of Technology Management and Science, India
Mrs. Shampa Sengupta, MCKV Institute of Engineering, India
Dr. Brojo Kishore Mishra, C. V. Raman College of Engineering (Autonomous),
Bhubaneswar
Dr. S. Vijayakumar Bharathi, Symbiosis Centre For Information Technology, Pune
Dr. Govinda K., Vellore Institute of technology
Dr. Prashant R. Nair, Amrita University
Dr. Hemanta Dey, IEEE Senior Member
Dr. Ajanta Das, University of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Samir Malakar, MCKV Institute of Engineering, Howrah
Dr. Tanushyam Chattopadhyay TCS Innovation Lab, Kolkata
Dr. A. K. Nayak Indian Institute of Business Management, Patna
Dr. B. K. Tripathy, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
Dr. K. Srujan Raju, CMR Technical Campus, Hyderabad
Dr. Partha Pratim Sahu, Tezpur University
Dr. Anuradha Banerjee, Kalyani Government Engineering College
Dr. Amiya Kumar Rath, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Odisha
Dr. S. D. Dewasurendra,
Dr. Arnab K. Laha, IIM Ahmedabad
Dr. Kandarpa Kumar Sarma, Gauhati University
Dr. Ambar Dutta, BIT Mesra & Treasurer—CSI Kolkata
Dr. Arindam Pal, TCS Innovation Labs, Kolkata
Dr. Himadri Dutta, Kalyani Government Engineering College, Kalyani
Dr. Tanupriya Choudhury, Amity University, Noida, India
Dr. Praveen Kumar, Amity University, Noida, India

Organizing Chairs
Krishnendu Rarhi, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Sujata Ghatak, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Dr. Apurba Sarkar, IIEST, Shibpur, India

Organizing Co-chairs
Sukalyan Goswami, University of Engineering and Management, India
Rupam Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Organizing Committee Convener

Dr. Sajal Dasgupta, Vice-Chancellor University of Engineering and Management
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x Organizing Committee

Organizing Committee
Subrata Basak, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Anshuman Ray, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Rupam Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Abhijit Sarkar, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Ankan Bhowmik, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Manjima Saha, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Biswajit Maity, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Soumik Das, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Sreelekha Biswas, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Nayantara Mitra, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Amitava Chatterjee, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Ankita Mondal, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Registration Chairs
Abhijit Sarkar, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Ankan Bhowmik, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Ankita Mondal, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Ratna Mondol, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Publication Chairs
Dr. Debashis De, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, India
Dr. Kuntala Patra, Gauhati University, India

Publicity and Sponsorship Chair

Dr. J. K. Mondal, University of Kalyani, India
Dr. Paramartha Dutta, Visva-Bharati University, India
Abhishek Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Biswajit Maity, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Soumik Das, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Treasurer and Conference Secretary

Dr. Subrata Saha, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Rupam Bhattacharya, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Krishnendu Rarhi, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Organizing Committee xi

Hospitality and Transport Chair

Soumik Das, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Nayantara Mitra, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Manjima Saha, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Sreelekha Biswas, Institute of Engineering and Management, India
Amitava Chatterjee, Institute of Engineering and Management, India

Web Chair
Samrat Goswami
Samrat Dey
Foreword

Welcome to the Springer International Conference on Emerging Technologies in

Data Mining and Information Security (IEMIS 2018) held on February 23–25,
2018, in Kolkata, India. As a premier conference in the field, IEMIS 2018 provides
a highly competitive forum for reporting the latest developments in the research and
application of information security and data mining. We are pleased to present the
proceedings of the conference as its published record. The theme of this year is
Crossroad of Data Mining and Information Security, a topic that is quickly gaining
traction in both academic and industrial discussions because of the relevance of
privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM) model.
IEMIS is a young conference for research in the areas of information and net-
work security, data sciences, big data, and data mining. Although 2018 is the debut
year for IEMIS, it has already witnessed a significant growth. As an evidence of
that, IEMIS received a record of 532 submissions. The authors of the submitted
papers are from 35 countries around the world. Authors of the accepted papers are
from 11 countries.
We hope that this program will further stimulate research in information security
and data mining and provide practitioners with better techniques, algorithms, and
tools for the deployment. We feel honored and privileged to serve the best recent
developments in the field of WSDM to you through this exciting program.

Kolkata, India Bimal Kumar Roy

General Chair, IEMIS 2018

xiii
Preface

This volume presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging

Technologies in Data Mining and Information Security (IEMIS 2018), which took
place in the University of Engineering and Management in Kolkata, India, on
February 23–25, 2018. The volume appears in the series “Advances in Intelligent
Systems and Computing” (AISC), which is one of the fastest growing book series,
published by Springer Nature, one of the largest and most prestigious scientific
publishers,. AISC is meant to include various high-quality and timely publications,
primarily conference proceedings of relevant conference, congresses, and symposia
but also monographs, on the theory, applications, and implementations of broadly
perceived modern intelligent systems and intelligent computing, in their modern
understanding, i.e., tools and techniques of artificial intelligence (AI), computa-
tional intelligence (CI)—which include data mining, information security, neural
networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing, as well as hybrid approaches that
synergistically combine these areas—but also topics such as multiagent systems,
social intelligence, ambient intelligence, Web intelligence, computational neuro-
science, artificial life, virtual worlds and societies, cognitive science and systems,
perception and vision, DNA- and immune-based systems, self-organizing and
adaptive systems, e-learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric
computing, autonomous robotics, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms,
machine ethics, intelligent data analysis, and various issues related to “big data,”
security, and trust management. These areas are at the forefront of science and
technology and have been found useful and powerful in a wide variety of disci-
plines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer, computation and informa-
tion sciences, ICT, economics, business, e-commerce, environment, health care, life
science, and social sciences. The AISC book series is submitted for indexing in ISI
Conference Proceedings Citation Index (now run by Clarivate), EI Compendex,
DBLP, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and SpringerLink and many other indexing
services around the world. IEMIS 2018 is a debut annual conference series orga-
nized at the School of Information Technology, under the aegis of the Institute of
Engineering and Management. This idea came from the heritage of the other two
cycles of events: IEMCON and UEMCON, which were organized by the Institute

xv
xvi Preface

of Engineering and Management under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Satyajit

Chakraborty.
In this volume of “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing,” we would
like to present the results of studies on selected problems of data mining and
information security. Security implementation is the contemporary answer to new
challenges in the threat evaluation of complex systems. Security approach in theory
and engineering of complex systems (not only computer systems and networks) is
based on the multidisciplinary attitude to information theory, technology, and
maintenance of the systems working in real (and very often unfriendly) environ-
ments. Such a transformation has shaped natural evolution in the topical range of
subsequent IEMIS conferences, which can be seen over the recent years. Human
factors likewise infest the best digital dangers. Workforce administration and digital
mindfulness are fundamental for accomplishing all-encompassing cybersecurity.
This book will be of extraordinary incentive to a huge assortment of experts,
scientists, and understudies concentrating on the human part of the Internet and for
the compelling assessment of safety efforts, interfaces, client-focused outline, and
plan for unique populaces, especially the elderly. We trust this book is instructive
yet much more than it is provocative. We trust it moves, driving per user to examine
different inquiries, applications, and potential arrangements in making sheltered and
secure plans for all.
The Programme Committee of the IEMIS 2018 Conference, its organizers, and
the editors of these proceedings would like to gratefully acknowledge participation
of all the reviewers who helped to refine contents of this volume and evaluated
conference submissions. Our thanks go to, in the alphabetic order, Prof. Bimal
Kumar Roy, Dr. Ajith Abraham, Dr. Sheng Lung peng, Dr. Detlef Streitferdt,
Dr. Shaikh Fattah, Dr. Celia Shahnaz, Dr. Swagatam Das, Dr. Niloy Ganguly,
Dr. K. K. Shukla, Dr. Nilanjan Dey, Dr. Florin PopentiuVladicescu, Dr. Dewan
Md. Farid, Dr. Saptarshi Ghosh, Dr. Rita Choudhury, Dr. Asit Kumar Das,
Prof. Tanupriya Choudhury, Prof. Arijit Ghosal, Prof. Rahul Saxena,
Prof. Monika Jain, Dr. Aakanksha Sharaff, Prof. Dr. Sajal Dasgupta,
Prof. Rajiv Ganguly, Prof. Sukalyan Goswami.
Thanking all the authors who have chosen IEMIS 2018 as the publication
platform for their research, we would like to express our hope that their papers will
help in further developments in design and analysis of engineering aspects of
complex systems, being a valuable source material for scientists, researchers,
practitioners, and students who work in these areas.

Auburn, USA Ajith Abraham

Santiniketan, India Paramartha Dutta
Kalyani, India Jyotsna Kumar Mandal
Kolkata, India Abhishek Bhattacharya
Kolkata, India Soumi Dutta
Contents

Part I Artificial Intelligence

Application of Common ANN for Similar Datatypes in On-line
Monitoring and Security Estimation of Power System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Shubhranshu Kumar Tiwary, Jagadish Pal and Chandan Kumar Chanda
Crop Prediction Models—A Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Supreeth S. Avadhani, Aashrith B. Arun, Varun Govinda
and Juyin Shafaq Imtiaz Inamdar
Rainfall Prediction: A Comparative Study of Neural Network
Architectures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Kaushik D. Sardeshpande and Vijaya R. Thool
Prediction of Bacteriophage Protein Locations Using Deep
Neural Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Muhammad Ali, Farzana Afrin Taniza, Arefeen Rahman Niloy,
Sanjay Saha and Swakkhar Shatabda
Classification of Phishing Websites Using Moth-Flame Optimized
Neural Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Santosh Kumar Majhi and Pragati Mahapatra
Design and Analysis of Intrusion Detection System via Neural
Network, SVM, and Neuro-Fuzzy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Abhishek Tiwari and Sanjeev Kumar Ojha
Grammar-Based White-Box Testing via Automated Constraint
Path Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Bijoy Rahman Arif
Music Playing and Wallpaper Changing System Based
on Emotion from Facial Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Protik Hosen, Nuruzzaman Himel, Md. Asaduzzaman Adil,
Ms. Nazmun Nessa Moon and Ms. Fernaz Narin Nur

xvii
xviii Contents

Gender Recognition Inclusive with Transgender from Speech

Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Ghazaala Yasmin, Omkar Mullick, Arijit Ghosal and Asit K. Das
A Survey on Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Cognitive
Radio Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
R. Ganesh Babu and V. Amudha
Bangla Handwritten Digit Recognition Using Convolutional
Neural Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
AKM Shahariar Azad Rabby, Sheikh Abujar, Sadeka Haque
and Syed Akhter Hossain
Distinction Between Phases of Human Sleep Cycle Using Neural
Networks Based on Bio-signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Trishita, Simran Kaur Bhatia, Gaurav Kumar and Aleena Swetapadma
Genetic Algorithm Based Load Evaluation Approach for Salvation
of Complexities in Allocation of Budget Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Neelima Chilagani and S. S. V. N. Sarma
A Theoretic Approach to Music Genre Recognition from Musical
Features Using Single-Layer Feedforward Neural Network . . . . . . . . . . 145
Sourav Das and Anup Kumar Kolya
Analysis on Efficient Handwritten Document Recognition
Technique Using Feature Extraction and Back Propagation
Neural Network Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Pramit Brata Chanda
Microarray Gene Expression Analysis Using Fuzzy Logic
(MGA-FL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Daksh Khanna, Tanupriya Choudhury, A. Sai Sabitha
and Nguyen Gia Nhu
Stratification of String Instruments Using Chroma-Based
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Arijit Ghosal, Suchibrota Dutta and Debanjan Banerjee
Liver Disorder Prediction Due to Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Using SLAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Sahil Saxena, Vikas Deep and Purushottam Sharma
Analysis on Multi-objective Optimization Problem Techniques . . . . . . . 203
Aditi Jaiswal
Contents xix

Part II Cloud Computing

Proposed Methodology to Strengthen the Performance
of Adaptive Cloud Using Efficient Resource Provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Lata J. Gadhavi and Madhuri D. Bhavsar
A Cloud-Based Vertical Data Distribution Approach
for a Secure Data Access on Mobile Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Jens Kohler and Thomas Specht
A Priority-Based Process Scheduling Algorithm
in Cloud Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Misbahul Haque, Rakibul Islam, Md. Rubayeth Kabir, Fernaz Narin Nur
and Nazmun Nessa Moon
Efficient Model of Cloud Trustworthiness for Selecting Services
Using Fuzzy Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Rashi Srivastava and A. K. Daniel
CS-PSO based Intrusion Detection System in Cloud Environment . . . . . 261
Partha Ghosh, Arnab Karmakar, Joy Sharma and Santanu Phadikar
Matrix-Based Data Security in Cloud Computing Using Advanced
Cramer–Shoup Cryptosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Y. Mohamed Sirajudeen and R. Anitha
Makespan Efficient Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Y. Home Prasanna Raju and Nagaraju Devarakonda
Improved Lattice-Based Encryption with LP Solver for Secured
Outsourced Data in Cloud Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Vemuri Sudarsan Rao and N. Satyanarayana
A Dynamic Resource Allocation Strategy to Minimize
the Operational Cost in Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Chinnaiah Valliyammai and Rengarajan Mythreyi
Review Paper on Cloudlet Allocation Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Rachna Anuragi and Manish Pandey

Part III Computational Mathematics

Modelling and Analysis of Bio-convective Nano-fluid Flow
Past a Continuous Moving Vertical Cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Debasish Dey
Unsteady MHD Flow of Viscoelastic Fluid Through a Porous
Medium in a Vertical Porous Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Sonam Dorjee and Utpal Jyoti Das
xx Contents

Heat Equation-Based ECG Signal Denoising in The Presence

of White, Colored, and Muscle Artifact Noises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Prateep Upadhyay, S. K. Upadhyay and K. K. Shukla
Second-Order Fluid Through Porous Medium in a Rotating
Channel with Hall Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Hridi Ranjan Deb
Adept-Disseminated Arithmetic-Based Discrete Cosine Transform . . . . . 379
K. B. Sowmya and Jose Alex Mathew
A Survey Road Map on Different Algorithms Proposed
on Protein Structure Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Kunal Kabi, Bhabani Shankar Prasad Mishra and Satya Ranjan Dash
Graph Theoretic Scenario in Period Doubling and Limit Cycle
Circumstances in Two-Dimensional Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Tarini Kumar Dutta, Debasmriti Bhattacherjee and Debasish Bhattacharjee

Part IV Computational Modeling

Enjoy and Learn with Educational Game: Likhte Likhte Shikhi
Apps for Child Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Md. Walid Bin Khalid Aunkon, Md. Hasanuzzaman Dipu,
Nazmun Nessa Moon, Mohd. Saifuzzaman and Fernaz Narin Nur
Technique for Data-Driven Mining in Physiological Sensor Data
by Using Eclat Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Shraddha Kalbhor and S. V. Kedar
A New Homogeneous Droplet Transportation Algorithm
and Its Simulator to Boost Route Performance in Digital
Microfluidic Biochips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Rupam Bhattacharya, Pranab Roy and Hafizur Rahaman
A New Combined Routing Technique in Digital Microfluidic
Biochip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Rupam Bhattacharya, Pranab Roy and Hafizur Rahaman
Optimized Multi-agent Personalized Search Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Disha Verma, Barjesh Kochar and Y. S. Shishodia
Reversible Code Converters Based on Application Specific
Four Variable Reversible Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Sanjoy Banerjee, Abhijit Kumar Pal, Mahamuda Sultana,
Diganta Sengupta and Abhijit Das
Regression-Based AGRO Forecasting Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
B. V. Balaji Prabhu and M. Dakshayini
Contents xxi

CRICRATE: A Cricket Match Conduction and Player Evaluation

Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
Md. Ashraf Uddin, Mahmudul Hasan, Sajal Halder, Sajeeb Ahamed
and Uzzal Kumar Acharjee
Predicting Factors of Students Dissatisfaction for Retention . . . . . . . . . 501
Mohammad Aman Ullah, Mohammad Manjur Alam, Md. Mahiuddin
and Mohammed Mahmudur Rahman
Establishing the Correlation Relationship Between Size of Code
and New Functionalities Using Regression Line Equation . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Kanupriya Kashyap, Abdul Wahid and Vikrant Shokeen
Cassandra—A Distributed Database System: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . 519
Abdul Wahid and Kanupriya Kashyap

Part V Computational Science

Subcellular Localization of Gram-Negative Proteins Using Label
Powerset Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Hasnaeen Ferdous, Raihan Uddin and Swakkhar Shatabda
Impact of Thermophoretic MHD Visco-Elastic Fluid Flow
Past a Wedge with Heat Source and Chemical Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . 541
Bibhash Deka and Rita Choudhury
Slip Effects on Heat and Mass Transfer in MHD Visco-Elastic
Fluid Flow Through a Porous Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Bamdeb Dey and Rita Choudhury
A Channel Selection Method for Epileptic EEG Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
Satarupa Chakrabarti, Aleena Swetapadma and Prasant Kumar Pattnaik
Visco-Elastic Effects on Nano-fluid Flow in a Rotating System
in Presence of Hall Current Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
Debasish Dey and Ashim Jyoti Baruah
RNA Structure Prediction Using Chemical Reaction Optimization . . . . 587
Md. Rayhanul Kabir, Fatema Tuz Zahra and Md. Rafiqul Islam
Mapping of Flow Visualization and Heat Transfer Analysis Over
Roughened Plate Inside Rectangular Duct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Anup Kumar and Apurba Layek
Impact of Oblique Magnetic Flux upon Second-Grade Fluid Flow
with Dissipation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
Bandita Das and Rita Choudhury
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xxii Contents

Analyzing the Complexity of Loop Shifting for Optimization

of Matrix-Multiplication Process for System Having One
Level Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Yogesh Singh Rathore, Dharminder Kumar and Kavita Saxena
Modeling Compensation of Data Science Professionals
in BRIC Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631
M. J. Smibi and Vivek Menon
Horizontal Scaling Enhancement for Optimized Big Data
Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Chandrima Roy, Kashyap Barua, Sandeep Agarwal, Manjusha Pandey
and Siddharth Swarup Rautaray

Part VI Cryptology
Implementation and Analysis of Cryptographic Ciphers in FPGA . . . . . 653
V. G. Kiran Kumar and C. Shantharama Rai
Attack Experiments on Elliptic Curves of Prime
and Binary Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
Ni Ni Hla and Tun Myat Aung
Gait-Based Authentication System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Vivek Kumar, Chirag Gupta and Vatsal Agarwal
Pen-Drive Based Password Management System
for Online Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693
Samruddhi Patil, Kumud Wasnik and Sudhir Bagade
A Comparative Analysis of Symmetric Lightweight
Block Ciphers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Asmita Poojari and H. R. Nagesh
A Novel Approach to Generate Symmetric Key in Cryptography
Using Genetic Algorithm (GA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713
Chukhu Chunka, Rajat Subhra Goswami and Subhasish Banerjee
A Low-Cost, High-Performance Implementation of RSA Algorithm
Using GPGPU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
P. S. Sasaank Srivatsa and P. V. R. R. Bhogendra Rao
Attacks and Threats on RSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Sreemoyee Biswas and Namita Tiwari
Private Communication Based on Hierarchical Identity-Based
Cryptography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
D. Kalyani and R. Sridevi
Contents xxiii

Part VII Expert System

An Approach to the Parameter Based Doctor Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
Mohammed Mahmudur Rahman, Md. Aman Ullah, Zinnia Sultana
and Md. Rashedul Islam
Land Use/Land Cover Modeling of Sagar Island,
India Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771
Ismail Mondal, Sandeep Thakur, Phanibhusan Ghosh, Tarun Kumar De
and Jatisankar Bandyopadhyay
A Hybrid Approach to Improve Recommendation System
in E-Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Mohammed Mahmudur Rahman, Zulkifly Bin Mohd Zaki,
Najwa Hayaati Binti Mohd Alwi and Md. Monirul Islam
Developing a Vision-Based Driving Assistance System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Ashfak Md. Shibli, Mohammed Moshiul Hoque and Lamia Alam
A Proposed Web-Based Architecture for Diabetes Awareness,
Prevention, and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Md. Ariful Islam, Syed Akhter Hossain
and Khondaker Abdullah Al Mamun
Rule Languages for the Semantic Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825
Sonia Mehla and Sarika Jain
Towards a Semantic Knowledge Treasure for Military
Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 835
Sanju Mishra and Sarika Jain
A Fuzzy AHP Approach to IT-Based Stream Selection
for Admission in Technical Institutions in India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Oindreela Saha, Arpita Chakraborty and Jyoti Sekhar Banerjee
Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859
About the Editors

Dr. Ajith Abraham received Ph.D. from Monash University, Melbourne,

Australia, and M.Sc. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His
research and development experience includes over 25 years in the industry and
academia spanning different continents like Australia, America, Asia, and Europe.
He works in a multidisciplinary environment involving computational intelligence,
network security, sensor networks, e-commerce, Web intelligence, Web services,
computational grids, data mining, and applications to various real-world problems.
He has authored/co-authored over 350 refereed journal/conference papers and
chapters, and some of the papers have also won the best paper awards at international
conferences and also received several citations. Some of the articles are available in
the ScienceDirect Top 25 Hottest Articles—http://top25.sciencedirect.com/index.
php?cat_id=6&subject_area_id=7.
He has given more than 20 plenary lectures and conference tutorials in these
areas. He serves the editorial board of several reputed International journals and has
also guest-edited 26 special issues on various topics. He is actively involved in the
Hybrid Intelligent Systems (HIS); Intelligent Systems Design and Applications
(ISDA); and Information Assurance and Security (IAS) series of international
conferences. He was General Co-chair of the Tenth International Conference on
Computer Modeling and Simulation (UKSIM’08), Cambridge, UK; Second Asia
International Conference on Modeling and Simulation (AMS 2008), Malaysia;
Eighth International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications
(ISDA’08), Taiwan; Fourth International Symposium on Information Assurance
and Security (IAS’07), Italy; Eighth International Conference on Hybrid Intelligent
Systems (HIS’08), Spain; and Fifth IEEE International Conference on Soft
Computing as Transdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSTST’08),
Cergy-Pontoise, France, and Program Chair/Co-chair of the Third International
Conference on Digital Information Management (ICDIM’08), UK, and Second
European Conference on Data Mining (ECDM 2008), the Netherlands.
He is Senior Member of IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, IEE (UK), ACM, etc.
More information at: http://www.softcomputing.net.

xxv
xxvi About the Editors

Dr. Paramartha Dutta was born in 1966 and did his bachelors and masters in
statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, in the years 1988 and 1990,
respectively. He completed his M.Tech. in computer science from the same institute
in the year 1993 and Ph.D. in engineering from the Bengal Engineering and Science
University, Shibpur, in 2005. He has served in the capacity of research personnel in
various projects funded by the Government of India, which include Defence
Research Development Organization, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,
Indian Statistical Institute. He is now Professor in the Department of Computer and
System Sciences of the Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India. Prior to this,
he served Kalyani Government Engineering College and College of Engineering in
West Bengal as full-time faculty member. He remained associated as visiting/guest
faculty of several universities/institutes such as West Bengal University of
Technology, Kalyani University, Tripura University.
He has co-authored eight books and has also seven edited books to his credit. He
has published more than two hundred technical papers in various peer-reviewed
journals and conference proceedings, both international and national, as well as
several chapters in edited volumes of reputed international publishing houses like
Elsevier, Springer-Verlag, CRC Press, John Wiley. He has guided six scholars who
already had been awarded their Ph.D. apart from one who has submitted her thesis.
Presently, he is supervising six scholars for their Ph.D. program.
He is the co-inventor of ten Indian patents and one international patent which are
all published apart from five international patents which are filed but not yet to be
published.
He, as an investigator, could implement successfully projects funded by All
India Council for Technical Education, Department of Science and Technology,
of the Government of India. He has served/serves in the capacity of external
member of Boards of Studies of relevant departments of various universities
encompassing West Bengal University of Technology, Kalyani University, Tripura
University, Assam University. He had the opportunity to serve as the expert of
several interview boards conducted by West Bengal Public Service Commission;
Assam University, Silchar; National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh;
Sambalpur University; etc.
He is Life Fellow of the Optical Society of India (FOSI), Institution of
Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (FIETE), and Institute of
Engineering (FIE); Life Member of Computer Society of India (LMCSI), Indian
Science Congress Association (LMISCA), Indian Society for Technical Education
(LMISTE), and Indian Unit of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence
(LMIUPRAI); the Indian affiliate of the International Association for Pattern
Recognition (IAPR); Senior Member of Associated Computing Machinery
(SMACM) and Institution of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (SMIEEE), USA.

Dr. Jyotsna Kumar Mandal completed his M.Tech. in computer science from the
University of Calcutta in 1987, was awarded Ph.D. (engineering) in computer
science and engineering by Jadavpur University in 2000, was Former Dean, Faculty
About the Editors xxvii

of Engineering, Technology and Management, for two consecutive terms since

2008, and is presently working as Professor of Computer Science and Engineering,
Kalyani University, Kalyani, Nadia, Government of West Bengal. He is
Ex-Director, IQAC, Kalyani University, and Chairman, CIRM, Kalyani University.
He was appointed as Professor in Kalyani Government Engineering College
through Public Service Commission under Government of West Bengal. He started
his career as Lecturer at NERIST, under MHRD Government of India, Arunachal
Pradesh, in September 1988. He has teaching and research experience of 30 years.
His areas of research are coding theory, data and network security, remote sensing
and GIS-based applications, data compression, error correction, visual cryptogra-
phy, and steganography. He has produced 21 Ph.Ds., two scholars have submitted,
and eight are pursuing. He has supervised 3 M.Phil. graduates and more than 50
M.Tech. dissertations and more than 100 M.C.A. dissertations. He is Chief Editor
of CSI Journal of Computing and Guest Editor of MST Journal (SCI indexed) of
Springer. He has published more than 400 research articles out of which 154
articles in various international journals. He has published five books from LAP
Germany and one from IGI Global. He was awarded A. M. Bose Memorial Silver
Medal and Kali Prasanna Dasgupta Memorial Silver Medal in M.Sc. from Jadavpur
University. India International Friendship Society (IIFS), New Delhi, conferred
“Bharat Jyoti Award” for meritorious service, outstanding performance, and
remarkable role in the field of computer science and engineering on August 29,
2012. He received “Chief Patron” Award from CSI India in 2014. International
Society for Science, Technology and Management conferred “Vidyasagar Award”
in the Fifth International Conference on Computing, Communication and Sensor
Network on December 25, 2016. ISDA conferred Rastriya Pratibha Award in 2017.

Abhishek Bhattacharya is Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer

Application at the Institute of Engineering and Management, India. He did his
M.Sc. from the Biju Patnaik University of Technology and completed his M.Tech.
in computer science from BIT, Mesra. He remained associated as visiting/guest
faculty of several universities/institutes in India. He has three books to his credit. He
has published 20 technical papers in various peer-reviewed journals and conference
proceedings, both international and national, as well as chapters in edited volumes
of reputed International publishing houses. He has teaching and research experience
of 13 years. His areas of research are data mining, network security, mobile
computing, and distributed computing. He is the reviewer of couple of journals of
IGI Global, Inderscience Publications, and Journal of Information Science Theory
and Practice, South Korea.
He is Member of International Association of Computer Science and
Information Technology (IACSIT), Universal Association of Computer and
Electronics Engineers (UACEE), International Association of Engineers (IAENG),
Internet Society as a Global Member (ISOC), the Society of Digital Information and
Wireless Communications (SDIWC), and International Computer Science and
Engineering Society (ICSES); Technical Committee Member of CICBA 2017,
52nd Annual Convention of Computer Society of India (CSI 2017), International
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 ‘Because if your friend succeeded in making our lines, he would
most likely enter them at or near the point that you did. Come,’ he
added kindly; ‘to relieve your anxiety, we will go together and make
inquiries.’
He caught up his hat, and beckoning Lucius to follow him, strode
out of the room.
Outside, the adjutant-general was anxiously awaiting him, and
Jackson stopped a moment to whisper a few instructions.
‘Tell them to meet me here in three-quarters of an hour,’ he
concluded.—‘Now, young man, come with me.’
They walked on for some distance in silence; but at last Lucius said
shyly: ‘I beg your pardon, General, but we could hear the firing as we
lay in the woods. Would you mind telling me whether you whipped
Frémont to-day, or yesterday, for I don’t know what the time is?’
‘By the blessing of God we were victorious,’ answered Jackson
devoutly.
‘Hurrah!’ cried Lucius. ‘We were certain you would be. It will be
the same to-day, or to-morrow, or whenever it is. Oh, General, when
we stood among the Yanks this morning and watched you on the hill
when our fellows carried the bridge, we felt we wouldn’t mind being
killed, so long as our side won. It was glorious!’
‘You ought to have been soldiers, you two,’ said Jackson, laughing
at his enthusiasm; ‘but I suppose you prefer your ploughs and
harrows. Farmers, aren’t you?’
‘Oh, well, some one must look after the crops, I suppose,’ answered
Lucius evasively, glad of this loophole to escape the inconvenient
question of identity.
‘Quite so,’ admitted the General with a sigh; ‘but I fear that before
long you will have to beat your ploughshares into swords, for we
shall need all the stout hearts and strong arms we can muster in the
trouble that is coming upon us.’
‘You shan’t have to wait long for me,’ exclaimed Lucius fervently.
‘Once I get home again, nothing shall keep me from joining, and so
I’ll tell them.’
‘Halt! Who comes there?’
 It was a sentry on the inner line of pickets who challenged them,
and as in answer to the General’s question he reported all well, they
passed beyond him and hurried towards the outposts.
Here, too, all was quiet. There had been no further scare, and
presently they reached the picket in charge of the captain who had
forwarded Lucius to headquarters. He saluted the General, and
glancing in some surprise at Lucius, whom he recognised, observed
that he hoped he had been right in what he had done.
‘Perfectly,’ returned Jackson. ‘No one else has come in since this
young man, I suppose?’
‘Only one of our scouts, sir,’ replied the captain. ‘He is on his way
to you now. He reported a scrimmage somewhere between this and
Lewiston. He couldn’t tell what it was about; but there was a great
fuss, and some one, he presumed a prisoner, was being taken to the
Federal camp. He was unable to ascertain whether it was one of his
brother scouts or not.’
At this doleful communication, Lucius felt his heart leap, and like
lightning a plan flashed through his brain. He sprang to Jackson’s
side, and caught his hand in both his own.
‘General,’ he cried in piercing tones, ‘that must have been my
friend. I am sure of it. I will go, if I die for it. Do you remember you
spoke to me in Staunton that Sunday? I am Lucius Markham. If I
never come back, tell my father it was I who brought in the despatch.’
And before the astonished General could move a finger to stop him,
he had darted away and sprung beyond the outpost.
‘Stop him! Fire on him!’ shouted the captain, who was very far
from comprehending the meaning of the scene.
‘Order arms!’ commanded the General loudly, as some of the
soldiers levelled their guns at the rapidly disappearing Lucius. ‘Let
him go. You will never catch him now. No pursuit, captain. Good-
night.’ He turned away and walked quickly back to his quarters.
‘Lucius Markham!’ he muttered to himself as he hurried along. ‘Well,
somehow I thought I knew his face. The plucky little rascal! I
remember he was burning to be allowed to join. What with his dirt
and his bandages, he looked so much older that it is no wonder I did
not recognise him. Who is this friend of his, and what have they been
up to between them? Well, well, I can do nothing but pray that no
evil may befall him, for his father’s sake. He is in the hand of God. I
can do nothing—nothing.’
A solitary shot from the direction of the Federal outposts. General
Jackson stopped and listened anxiously. Then as all was still, he
shook his head sadly, and turning once more upon his heel, went
slowly on.
 CHAPTER XIV.
GRIZZLY IN THE TOILS.

phraim was not long in following out his own

recommendation to Lucius, but unfortunately, instead of
bearing away to the left, he took a straighter line, and
before he had gone fifty yards, found himself
surrounded by a dozen men, who had approached the
scene of conflict with more caution and less noise than
their fellow-soldiers. The Grizzly, indeed, was among
them before he was aware of their presence, and ere he could attempt
to resist or break through the circle, was firmly seized and held fast.
‘I guess we’ve got some one,’ said a rough voice. ‘Who may yew be,
and whar air yew running to?’
Ephraim did not answer at once. His first thoughts, as usual, were
of Lucius, and he was listening intently for any sign which might
indicate his capture. Presently he heard the boy’s voice shouting
misleading directions as he practised his simple ruse de guerre, and
once more at rest upon this point, gave attention to the question,
which was now repeated in a more peremptory tone.
‘Waal,’ answered Ephraim slowly, feeling, as it were, for his words,
‘I heard a fuss, and I was runnin’ to see what the trouble was.’
‘I reckon yew must have an outrageous fine bump of locality,’ said
another man sneeringly, ‘seeing that yew’re making tracks in a
teetotally wrong direction.—Hi! Pete, hurry up with the lantern, and
let’s have a look at this coon.’
‘Ef I don’t keep a level head,’ thought Ephraim, as he heard this,
‘I’m a goner, shore. Waal, it don’t matter much, ez long ez Luce is
safe, and I reckon he is, so fur, fer I don’t hear any row.—Oh! Ugh!’
 The expression of pain was wrung from him as the grasp of one of
his captors tightened upon his wounded shoulder.
‘What’s the matter with yew?’ inquired the man. ‘My land! My
hand is all wet. So’s his shoulder. Quick with the light! Why, it’s
blood! I guess, corporal, he war running from the trouble, not
towards it. No wonder he war in sech a hurry.’
The corporal stepped up and examined Ephraim’s torn coat and
lacerated shoulder by the light of the lantern.
‘Humph!’ he ejaculated. ‘A nasty rake, and a fresh wound, too.
How did you come by this?’
‘I reckon something must hev struck me,’ returned Ephraim, as
though he were now receiving news of his wound for the first time.
‘Thar’s sech a heap er things flying around these days, ye can’t tell
whar they come from or whar they go ter.’
‘This is no bullet wound, though,’ said the corporal, examining it
again. ‘It’s been done by a bayonet.—Come, you, tell us what
happened. Did you meet the Reb?’ For he noted that Ephraim was
clad in the Federal blue.
‘I ’magine it must hev been suthin’ er thet sort,’ replied Ephraim
cautiously. ‘Ennyway, I run up agin suthin’ or somebody, and thet’s
the fact.’
‘Where did it happen?’ asked the corporal.
‘Somewhar round. It mought hev been hyar and it mought hev
been thar. I can’t ezackly say.’
‘Did your assailant bolt after wounding you?’ was the corporal’s
next question.
‘I didn’t stop ter see,’ began Ephraim, when a loud shout close by
announced that the question had received a practical answer by the
discovery of the body of Sergeant Mason.
‘Hi! Help!’ shouted a voice. ‘Thar’s a dead soldier over hyar. No, he
ain’t dead; but he’s got it pretty bad. Help!’
The corporal rushed in the direction of the hail, and the soldiers
hurried Ephraim after him. Presently they came to the scene of the
late scrimmage, where the sergeant still lay upon his back, moaning
faintly.
 ‘Why, if it isn’t Sergeant Mason!’ cried the corporal, bending over
the prostrate man.—‘Did you do this?’ he demanded fiercely,
straightening up and facing Ephraim.
The Grizzly recognised that further concealment was useless, so he
answered firmly: ‘It war in fair fight, corporal. I reckon ef it hadn’t
been him lyin’ thar, it would hev been me, so maybe it’s ez well ez it
is.’
‘Then I guess you’re the man we want,’ cried the corporal.—‘Boys,
this is the pesky Secesh, what’s given so much trouble to-day, going
round in Federal uniform. I bet it is.—We’ve got you now, Johnny
Reb, so you may as well own up. Who are you, any how?’
‘I reckon you make me tired with your questions,’ answered
Ephraim. ‘I shan’t answer no more. Ye ain’t the provost-marshal, air
ye?’
‘Ho! if it’s him you want to see,’ mocked the corporal, ‘I guess we
won’t be long gratifying your desires.—Hey, boys?’
A low muttering among the men swelled suddenly into a shout,
and there was an ugly rush in the direction of Ephraim. The corporal
threw himself in the way of it.
‘No, no, boys,’ he cried. ‘I guess his time is short enough without
your cutting it shorter. Besides, fair’s fair, and the fellow that could
get the best of Sergeant Mason in a tussle must be a stark fighter and
a pretty average kind of a man. Let him take his chance with the
provost-marshal. I reckon it’s his business, not ours.’
The men, appealed to in this soldierly fashion, fell back, and at the
corporal’s direction four of them raised the fallen Sergeant Mason
and started for the camp, bearing him between them.
‘Now, you,’ said the corporal, ‘since you’re in such a hurry, step
out, and we’ll call on your friend the provost-marshal. I shouldn’t
wonder if he was waiting up to receive you.—Fetch him along, boys.’
‘Corporal,’ asked the Grizzly in a weak voice, ’ kin I hev a drink er
water? I’——The words failed on his lips, he staggered and would
have fallen, but for the supporting arms of the two men who held
him.
‘My land!’ exclaimed the corporal. ‘I’d forgotten his wound. Lay
him down on the ground.—Hyar, drink this. We may be Yankees,
Johnny Reb; but we are not brutes by a good deal.’ He held his
canteen to Ephraim’s lips, and when the latter had satisfied his
thirst, rapidly cut away his coat and made a fresh examination of the
wound.
‘There,’ he said, arranging his own handkerchief as a pad over the
gash, and binding it in its place with another which one of the men
handed to him—‘you’ll do now till the surgeon can get his paws on
you. It’s only a scratch, though it’s a pretty deep one. Feel better?’
‘I’m obleeged ter ye,’ said Grizzly, sitting up. ‘I’m all right agen
now. It war water I wanted.—No,’ as he rose to his feet, ‘ye needn’t
carry me. I kin walk well enuff.’
‘Are you sure?’ demurred the corporal, who was prepossessed in
Ephraim’s favour on account of his prowess in having overthrown
such a mighty man of valour as Sergeant Mason. ‘It’ll be easy enough
to have you carried.’
‘I’ll walk while I kin walk,’ returned Ephraim with grim humour.
‘Ye kin carry me after the shootin’. Or I reckon it’s hangin’ when ye’re
ketched spyin’ around; ain’t it?’
‘I’m afraid it is,’ answered the corporal as they moved along. ‘And I
wish it wasn’t, for you’re a brave man, and I’d sooner see you with an
ounce of lead in your brain than dangling at the end of a rope.’
‘That’s real kind of you, corporal,’ said Ephraim. ‘The selection is
very ch’ice; but I ’low the result won’t make much difference ter me.’
The corporal seemed to feel the force of this, for he made no reply,
and they continued their way in silence until the groups of
smouldering bivouac fires showed that they had reached the outer
line of the camp. Passing through the long rows of slumbering
soldiers, they came at last to the guard tent, and here the corporal,
on making inquiries, was referred to the officer of the day, who in his
turn directed them to the provost-marshal.
They found that this dreaded functionary had left word that, in the
event of the capture of the spy, he was to be awakened at once, no
matter what the hour; but as a matter of fact he arrived upon the
scene in a very bad humour, for after waiting up till considerably past
midnight, he had thought that he might safely turn in, and now his
first sweet, refreshing sleep had been rudely broken. That this was
due to the strictness of his own orders did not tend to soothe him, for
there was nobody to shift the blame upon, and to be reduced to
grumbling at one’s self is a state that offers little consolation. Yes,
there was some one, though, upon whom the vials of his wrath might
be legitimately emptied, and the provost-marshal determined that
the spy—if spy he really proved to be—should have nothing to
complain of on the score of undue leniency.
‘Bring that prisoner in here,’ he said, appearing at the entrance to
his tent.—‘Now, corporal, is this the spy?’
‘Can’t say, sir,’ answered the corporal; ‘but I shouldn’t wonder if it
were. I captured him as he was attempting to escape after clubbing
Sergeant Mason.’
The provost-marshal, who had seated himself at a small table with
a note-book before him and a pencil in his hand, looked up in
surprise at this. ‘Do I understand you to say,’ he asked, ‘that this
weedy creature actually got the best of Sergeant Mason?’
‘It’s a fact, sir,’ replied the corporal. ‘Mason has got a crack on the
head that will keep him quiet this long time. Of course I didn’t see
the fight myself, but this fellow here don’t deny that he is the man,
and he has a bayonet wound in the shoulder to speak for the truth of
what he says.’
‘Humph!’ muttered the provost-marshal. ‘I shouldn’t have thought
it possible. Well, I’ll question him.—By the way, corporal, did you
hear or see anything of those other two fellows?’
‘No, sir,’ answered the corporal, understanding the reference; ‘but
I heard, sir, that Colonel Spriggs was still out on the hunt for them.’
The provost-marshal’s moustache was slightly agitated. So grim a
person could not be expected to smile; but his amused thought was
evidently: ‘Spriggs will take precious good care not to return to camp
until Jackson moves from Port Republic, or we move from here.’
For Ephraim, too, the announcement had a special interest, for it
showed him that his identity with one of the escaped aeronauts was
not, so far, suspected, and hence the provost-marshal could have no
idea that any one else had been concerned in the affair of the
despatch. Lucius, he hoped, was by this time out of harm’s way; but
at all events Spriggs was not there to complicate matters by referring
to him. The Grizzly was quite prepared to take the onus of the theft of
the despatch upon his own shoulders, and he awaited calmly the
discovery of the packet. Casting his eyes downwards to his cartridge
pouch, he saw with some slight surprise that the flap was unfastened.
He had been very particular about the fastening, lest by any chance
the papers should be lost, and he wondered whether it had come
undone during his combat with Sergeant Mason. He was roused
from his meditations by the voice of the provost-marshal questioning
him.
‘Are you a soldier or civilian?’
‘Civilian, sir. I am a factory hand at the ironworks at Staunton. I
came into your lines by accident, and ’cause I wanted ter git out agen
without comin’ ter grief, I put on these clothes thet I found in the
wood.’
‘Ah! I suppose it was also by accident that, thus disguised as a
Federal soldier, you played the part of sentry, and became
fraudulently possessed of a despatch belonging to General Shields
and addressed to General Frémont? And I imagine that if, by another
and very lucky accident, you had fallen in with your friends, the
enemy, you would have felt compelled to hand the despatch over to
them. It is fortunate that we got hold of you first.’
This was a shot on the part of the provost-marshal, for he had as
yet no means of knowing that Ephraim and the man who had
stopped Captain Hopkins were one and the same. As Ephraim did
not answer, he went on: ‘Have you got the despatch, corporal?’
‘No, sir,’ replied the corporal. ‘I was busy attending to his wound
and bringing him here.’
‘Search him, then.’
The corporal searched Ephraim literally down to his skin, and to
the surprise of no one more than the Grizzly himself, discovered
nothing.
‘They must hev dropped out while the row war goin’ on,’ thought
Ephraim; for it never crossed his mind that by an accidental
exchange of belts the papers had come into Luce’s hands. Had he
suspected this, he would have felt miserable indeed.
‘What have you done with that despatch, you fellow? What is your
name?’ asked the provost-marshal angrily.
‘Ephraim Sykes,’ answered the Grizzly, paying no attention to the
more important question.
 ‘Psha! Where is the despatch?—Well, do you not intend to
answer?’ For still Ephraim held his peace.
‘I told ye the truth jest now,’ said Ephraim at last. ‘I war tryin’ ter
git out er your lines, whar I come without any wish er my own. I
hevn’t got any despatch, ez ye kin see.’
‘What have you done with it, then?’ inquired the provost-marshal
impatiently.
‘I hevn’t said I ever had it,’ answered Ephraim, anxious to gain
time. ‘Ef ye air so ready ter accuse me, ye’d better start in and prove
me guilty. I’m not supposed ter do it fer ye, I reckon.’
The officer eyed him sternly. ‘Justice shall be done, my man; don’t
you be afraid of that,’ he said significantly.—‘Corporal!’ He gave an
order in an undertone, and the corporal immediately left the tent.
In a few minutes he returned, followed by Captain Hopkins, who
entered with a look of eager expectation on his face.
‘Do you recognise this man, captain?’ asked the provost-marshal.
—‘You, Sykes, come forward into the light.’
‘Recognise him! I should think so,’ exclaimed Hopkins, as Ephraim
obeyed the order. ‘That is the rascal who personated a sentry by the
river bank, stole the despatch by means of a trick, and set my boat
adrift.’
‘You are certain that you are not mistaken, captain?’
‘Absolutely. The interview was too fruitful in consequences to
allow me to forget the interviewer. I would have picked this man out
of a whole regiment.’
The provost-marshal looked at Ephraim. ‘You hear the charge,’ he
said briefly. ‘What have you to say?’
‘Waal, I han’t denied it,’ answered Ephraim.
‘You mean that you admit that you took the despatch from Captain
Hopkins. I understand you to admit that.’
‘It ain’t much use my doin’ anythin’ else, so fur ez I kin see,’
returned Ephraim. ‘Yes; I stopped him and took the despatch.’
‘Good! Your intention, of course, was to deliver it to the enemy?’
‘Nary a doubt er thet,’ admitted Ephraim.
 ‘By whom you were commissioned to enter our lines and collect
whatever information you could?’
‘Not at all,’ answered Ephraim sharply. ‘It war jest ez I told ye. I
war a civilian tryin’ to escape out of yer lines. But the chance came
ter me, and I took it.’
‘I need not tell you in return that the taking of that chance will cost
you your life; for civilian though you may be, you are probably
acquainted with the punishment incurred by a spy. It matters not at
all that the paper has not been found upon you, since you have been
identified and have confessed your guilt’——
‘Guilt!’ put in Ephraim quietly. ‘I han’t confessed to any guilt ez fur
ez I know. I don’t call it a crime ter try and serve my country,
whatever ye may do.’
‘We won’t go into the question of patriotism either,’ returned the
provost-marshal. ‘Unfortunately for you, when a man is caught
serving his country in the particular fashion in which you have
elected to serve yours, there is only one thing to be done with him.’
‘I’d like ter be allowed ter ask ye, Mister Marshal,’ said Ephraim,
‘ef thar air none er your men prowlin’ around our lines jest ter see
what they kin pick up? What’s the difference between them and me?
Ain’t they servin’ their country, too, accordin’ ter their lights?’
‘I’ll allow that,’ answered the provost-marshal. ‘And if your fellows
can lay them by the heels, they will serve them as we shall serve you
—namely, hang them. But now, my man, seeing that you can’t get off,
and that there is but one end in store for you, you may as well tell me
what you have done with the despatch.’
‘It’ll make no difference to me, ye say? Ter the hangin’, thet is?’
queried Ephraim.
The provost-marshal shook his head. ‘Not the slightest,’ he said.
‘Then hang away and welcome. Ye’ll git no more out er me.’
The provost-marshal considered for a moment. It was important to
ascertain if possible whether the despatch had reached the enemy or
not. Finally he said: ‘Understand me, my man: I am empowered to
deal summarily with cases like yours. I might condemn you out of
hand; but if you will tell me truly what you have done with the
despatch, I will give you this further chance, that I will refer your
case to the general in the morning. Speak out now.’
 Ephraim considered in his turn. He did not give much for the
grace of being brought face to face with General Shields, who he did
not doubt would instantly recognise him as the purloiner of his
breakfast and the soi-disant ‘Trailing Terror,’ and so the matter
would become more hopelessly complicated than ever. But life was
sweet, and if he could gain a respite of only a few hours, there was no
saying what might happen in the interval. He had risked his life, and
would have done so again, to carry the despatch to the Confederate
General; but seeing that it was lost and he could by no possibility
discover it, why should he not simply say so and take the proffered
advantage?
‘Well,’ said the provost-marshal at last, ‘have you made up your
mind?’
‘I hev, sir,’ answered Ephraim. ‘But if I tell ye the truth ye’ll maybe
not b’leeve me.’
‘Say your say, and we shall see,’ returned the other; ‘but I seriously
advise you not to attempt to put me off with any cock-and-bull story.’
‘Waal,’ began Ephraim, ‘I ’low I might bluff ye by tellin’ ye thet I’d
got thet despatch across the lines, fer I reckon thet’s the idee thet’s
makin’ ye oncomfortable; but if I’d got thet fur with it, I wouldn’t hev
been sech a born fool ez to come back jest fer the pleasure er bein’
hung. The plain truth is, I don’t know whar it is any more than ye do
yerself.’
‘Do you mean that you have lost it?’
‘Nuthin’ less. I had it hyar in this pouch jest before thet rumpus
with the sergeant at the end of the ditch, and I reckon it must hev fell
out somewhar thar.’ Ephraim did honestly believe this to be the case.
‘If you had had an accomplice, it would have been a simple matter
to pass the paper on to him,’ said the provost-marshal, regarding him
doubtfully.
‘Ye may be easy on thet score,’ replied Ephraim firmly. ‘I got hold
er the despatch by myself without the help er any one. I carried it in
this pouch, ez I war tellin’ ye, and I know thet I had it jest before the
row began. Maybe it’s lyin’ around loose on the ground somewhar
thar. I’m tellin’ ye the truth and no lies,’ he added earnestly. ‘B’leeve
me or not, thet’s my last word.’
 The provost-marshal rose to his feet, ‘Captain Hopkins,’ he said,
‘return to your quarters. I will send for you when I require you.’ Then
as the captain went out: ‘Corporal, place this man under guard.
Afterwards take your men and return to the spot where you arrested
this spy. Make a thorough search of the ground in the vicinity. If you
find the despatch, bring it at once to me. If not, come back here with
the prisoner at dawn.’
‘Very good, sir,’ answered the corporal.—‘What shall I do about the
man’s wound, sir?’
‘Oh, thet’s nuthin’,’ put in Ephraim. ‘I don’t know it’s thar sence ye
tied it up.’
‘The sentry can be told to send for a surgeon if it becomes
necessary during the night,’ said the provost-marshal. ‘Remove the
prisoner.’
The corporal retired with Ephraim, whom he immediately
conducted to an empty tent, before the door of which he set a sentry.
Then he unslung his canteen and laid it down on the ground beside
the prisoner, and a moment later forced a great handful of biscuit
upon him.
‘There,’ he said good-naturedly, ‘you won’t starve now, and if your
shoulder troubles you, hail the sentry and he’ll send for a surgeon.
I’ve told him.’
’Tain’t wuth it fer all the time I’ll know I’ve got an arm,’ said
Ephraim gloomily.
‘Oh, maybe it’ll not be so bad as that. If we find the despatch, you
may get off I don’t say you will; but I hope so, for I like your pluck in
standing up to a giant like Sergeant Mason.’
‘I’m obleeged ter ye,’ said Ephraim more heartily. ‘I hadn’t looked
fer so much kindness from a Yank.’
‘Ah, we’re not so black as we’re painted down South,’ laughed the
corporal. ‘And we’re all Americans, if it comes to the pinch, and don’t
you forget it.’
He nodded kindly and went out, leaving Ephraim alone with his
reflections.
They were not pleasant, as may well be imagined. The lad was
brave, but it takes a considerable supply of somewhat unusual
fortitude to enable one to wait through the dark watches of the night,
looking forward to the death which is to come with the dawn, and
strive as he would, Ephraim found it hard to put the dismal prospect
from him.
‘I wish they’d hung me out er hand,’ he said to himself. ‘It would
hev been over by now. It’s the thinkin’ what’s ter come thet makes
me sick.’ He rose and paced backwards and forwards in his narrow
prison. ‘God be thanked, Luce warn’t with me,’ ran his thoughts. ‘Ef
he’s had any luck, he’ll be safe in our lines by now. But I wish I knew.
I wish I knew. Luce’ll be sorry when he comes ter hear er this. We’ve
always been sech friends. Thar’s on’y him and Aunty Chris. Luce’ll
take keer on her; I bet he will. I’d like ter see him once more before I
die; but I wouldn’t hev him hyar fer thet. By time! no. I wonder will it
hurt. I dunno, but I’d ruther they’d shoot me; but I s’pose I ain’t good
enuff fer thet. Waal, I reckon it won’t take long either way. Funny,
ain’t it, ter hev ter die? I reckon I orter be thinkin’ about heaven,
‘stead er which I’m hankerin’ a good deal after this old earth.
Anyway, I’ll try and fix my thorts above, ez the minister said last
Sabbath. Maybe it’ll do me good and make me brave; but I reckon it’s
none too easy.’
He knelt down upon the ground and covered his eyes with his
hand, as if with the sight of earth he would shut out all thoughts of it.
Then from his simple heart there welled a passionate prayer to God,
not for his own safety, for he considered that as a thing past praying
for, but that he might be able to look Death bravely in the face, and
meet him as a man should do—that God would take care of Aunty
Chris, and bless and keep Luce from harm—‘Let him git home! Let
him git thar!‘—and he was done.
He rose to his feet, refreshed in spirit and steadier in his nerves.
Hope seemed to have returned to him, and there was something like
a smile upon his lips as he stowed away the biscuit which the
corporal had given him in his pockets.
‘Ye never know when they might come in handy,’ he muttered.
—‘Hello! What do ye want?’
For the sentry had put his head through the opening of the tent,
obscuring the faint light that entered there.
 ‘‘St!’ whispered the sentry. ‘Don’t make a noise. By time! Grizzly,
I’m sorry ter see ye fixed up like this.’
 CHAPTER XV.
ANY PORT IN A STORM.

o say that Ephraim was astonished as this sympathetic

remark fell upon his ear, would be to convey a very faint
idea of his sensations. For the moment he was simply
bewildered. The voice was the voice of a friend, and
where in all that great army should he look for a friend
just now?
‘Who air ye?’ he attempted to say; but his tongue clove
to his mouth, and no sound came from his lips.
He groped for the corporal’s canteen and took a drink. ‘Who air
ye?’ he said at last. ‘Who air ye thet speak ter me like thet?’
His legs began to tremble under him. He sat down upon the
ground and took another sip of water from the canteen. It refreshed
him, and he listened eagerly for the reply.
‘A friend,’ answered the sentry. ‘Don’t ye be down in the mouth,
Eph Sykes. I’m hyar ter help ye. On’y we must go cautious, ye know.’
‘Who air ye?’ repeated Ephraim. ‘Who air ye?’ He said it over and
over again monotonously, like a parrot repeating the words.
‘Sh! What’s the matter with ye? Don’t ye know me? I thort ye
would. I’m Jake Summers. Ye know me now, don’t ye?’
‘Ah! I do thet,’ answered Ephraim with cold contempt. ‘Jake
Summers, the Southern Yankee. The man who quit old Virginny
when the war broke out, and took sides agin her. I know ye well enuff
now. And ye call yerself a friend. Yah! Git out and leave me alone.’
‘Oh, shet yer head, Grizzly,’ was the retort, given without a spice of
ill-humour. ‘What do you know? I reckon we’ve all got our own
opinions, and may be allowed ter keep ’em. I’m not the on’y one by a
long sight ez couldn’t make up his mind to cut loose from the old
Union, ez ye know well enough. I ’magine ye won’t deny a man the
right ter foller the call er his conscience in this onnatural war.’
‘Couldn’t ye hev hung on ter the Union ’thout firin’ bullets inter old
Virginny, ef thet’s the way ye felt about it,’ answered Ephraim.
‘Anyway, ye kin settle up with yer conscience the best way ye please,
so long as ye git out er thet. Quit!’
‘Eph,’ said the man earnestly, ‘don’t make sech a pizen noise,
onless ye want ter wake up them ez doesn’t feel fer ye ez I do. I tell ye
I want ter be yer friend ef ye’ll let me, and not be a fool.’
‘Garn away,’ replied Ephraim dismally, but not so roughly as
before. ‘What kin ye do?’
‘I’ll show ye ef ye’ll git up and come over hyar, whar I kin talk ter
ye ’thout bein’ heard all over the camp,’ said the man.—‘Eph, d’ye
remember little Toots?’
‘Ah, I remember him,’ answered Ephraim. ‘What ye bringin’ him
up fer?’
‘Little Toots, my little b’y Toots,’ went on the man with a catch in
his voice. ‘The on’y one me and Jenny ever had. D’ye remember, Eph,
after we thort he war gittin’ well from the dipthery, how ye useter
come and see him, and bring him toys ye’d made yerself. One time it
war a little gun, one time it war a Noah’s ark ye’d cut him outern a
block er pine, and another time it war a Jack-in-the-box thet useter
frighten him every time it come out, and then make him larf till we
thort he’d never stop?’ The rough voice died away in a sob.
‘I don’t see what yer meanin’ is,’ said Ephraim uncomfortably, for
he hated to be reminded of his little charities.
‘Don’t ye? I’ll larn ye soon. When we quit Staunton, Jenny and
Toots and me, the little b’y he sorter sickened after the old home, and
he got weaker and weaker. We’d lost everything, Eph, and we
couldn’t git him the little comforts he wanted, the pore lamb, and
thar we hed ter sit and see him wastin’ before our eyes, me and
Jenny. Eph, I tell ye, he war always singin’ out fer you. “I want
Grizzly,” says he. “I want him ter bring me a toy.” And when he died,
Eph, he war jest huggin’ yer old Jack-in-the-box ter his breast, ez ef
he loved it too much ter leave it behind him. So we put it in with him,
Eph, fer we couldn’t bear ter take it from him.’ His voice choked
again, and he stopped abruptly.
‘Pore little Toots!’ murmured Ephraim sympathetically. ‘And so ye
lost him, Jake?’
‘We did,’ answered Jake; ‘and we thort our hearts war broke, we
did, me and Jenny. And then ter-night, jest now when the corporal
brought ye along and sot ye in thar with me ter look after ye, I
couldn’t believe it fer a spell. And then I thort how good ye’d been ter
little Toots, makin’ his little life thet happy, and how fond he war er
ye and all. And I sez ter myself, I dunno what Eph Sykes hez been up
ter; but I reckon ef harm comes ter him while I’m hyar ter keep it
off’n him, I’ll never be able ter look little Toots in the face when
wanst I meet him again. Now ye kin tell, Grizzly, ef I’m yer friend or
ef I ain’t.’
Ephraim made no answer; but in the dark he groped for Jake’s
hand and wrung it hard.
‘I’ve got a plan, Eph,’ said Jake, returning the pressure. ‘It’s ez
simple ez hoein’ a row. On’y we must be quick.’
‘No, Jake, I can’t let ye do it,’ answered Ephraim at last. ‘Ye can’t
help me ’thout hurtin’ yerself, and I can’t save my life et the price er
another man’s, ’ceptin’ in a fair fight. It’s good er ye, Jake, and it’s
like what I remember ye in the old days. But I can’t let ye do it;
though I’m obleeged ter ye, all the same.’
‘Shucks!’ exclaimed Jake impatiently. ‘Don’t ye consarn yerself
over me. I reckon I like a whole skin ez well ez any man. Thar’ll be a
court-martial and thet; but they won’t be able to prove anythin’.
Don’t waste time. Hev ye got a knife?’
‘On’y a little wan,’ replied Ephraim, yielding to his persuasion.
‘Then take mine, and open the big blade. Now then, rip a great
hole in the back er the tent. Do it soft, now. Don’t make no noise.
Hev ye done it?’
‘Yes,’ answered Ephraim. ‘Am I ter git out thet way?’
‘My land! no. Ye’d be stopped before ye’d gone ten paces. It’s on’y
fer a blind, thet. Now come over hyar. Put yer hands behind yer back
ez ef they war tied, and step out alongside me. See hyar, Eph, this has
got ter be smartly done, fer I must git back ter my post without loss
er time. I’ll take the resk. I can’t do everythin’ I’d like ter do; but I’ll
pilot ye through the camp, and then ye must make a break fer the
woods on yer own account. Ef ye let ’em nab ye agen, ye’re not the
man I take ye fer. Air ye ready? Then come along.’
With considerable difficulty Ephraim clasped his hands behind his
back, owing to the stiffness in his shoulder; but he set his teeth and
bore the pain, and while Jake grasped him by the arm, the two of
them set out with soft but rapid steps through the slumbering camp.
Here and there a head was sleepily lifted; but the sight of a
prisoner at any hour of the day or night was altogether too common
to attract serious attention, and only once did Jake open his mouth
to inform a sentry that he was taking his charge to the provost-
marshal.
Presently they reached the tent where the stern dispenser of
martial law slept in blissful unconsciousness that his prey was on the
point of slipping through his fingers. Needless to say they did not
enter his tent, which was at the extreme end of the camp near the
river, but making a slight detour, slipped past it, and almost
immediately afterwards Jake came to a halt.
‘Thet’s all I kin do fer ye, Grizzly,’ he whispered. ‘Ye must trust ter
luck fer the rest. God send ye git safe in. Give a kind thort ter Uncle
Sam sometimes fer this night’s work.’ And before Ephraim could
utter a word of the thanks that rushed to his lips, his benefactor had
turned and left him.
‘Waal,’ thought Ephraim, as he cast himself at full length upon the
ground in order to escape observation, ‘thet Jake Summers is a man
down ter his boots. To think of the few toys I give little Toots bringin’
about all this. I never thort when I made him thet Jack-in-the-box
thet it war ter be the savin’ er my life. My land! I kin sca’cely
onderstand it.’
As he lay, he rapidly revolved plan after plan for his further
procedure, rejecting them all, till at last he made up his mind to
attempt to reach the hut in the forest, and conceal himself therein
until the day broke.
‘It’s resky,’ he thought to himself; ‘but then everythin’s resky jest
now. And it’s better than wanderin’ round in the dark, when I might
plump up against a Yank before I knew whar I war. Thet window is
so handy, too. Onless they come on me from all sides at wanst, I kin
slip through it nicely and away inter the woods.’
He stole across the fields, bending almost to the ground lest any
prowling Federal or lynx-eyed sentry should catch sight of him; nor
did he pause to take breath until he reached the long ditch, at the far
end of which he had waged that memorable battle with Sergeant
Mason, which had, after all, resulted so disastrously for himself.
‘I wonder whether the corporal has found the despatch,’ he
thought, as he rested his back against the sloping side of the ditch. ‘It
must hev dropped out somewhar thar. He’s a good man, thet
corporal, and ef I git cl’ar of this scrape, I won’t hev so many hard
things ter say agin the Yanks after ter-night. ’Ceptin’, of co’se, that
pesky Cunnel Spriggs. But then, I reckon, he sorter stands alone,
bein’, as Ginrul Shields said, a disgrace ter everybody. I wonder whar
he is, the critter! Layin’ on ter be lookin’ fer us, when all he wants is
ter be quit er the fight ter-morrer, or ter-day, for I guess it’s been ter-
day this two hours back. I wonder ef thar will be a battle. It’ll simplify
matters a good deal fer me ef thar is, fer the Yanks will hev enuff ter
do ’thout huntin’ me. I wonder whar Luce kin be? I hope he’s made
our lines all right. My land! I’d jest better quit wonderin’ and ‘tend
ter business.’
He started off again, going warily, and anon reached, without
accident, the short arm of the wood, through which he groped
cautiously until he came opposite to the back of the hut. Here he
paused again, and throwing himself down, crawled on his hands and
knees across the short strip of intervening ground. At the window he
raised himself up cautiously and listened intently. Not a sound broke
the stillness, and satisfied at last, he edged his way round to the
front.
‘All cl’ar,’ he thought. ‘Thet’s well. Now I’ll set down jest inside the
door, and then ef anybody comes I kin slip in and away through the
window, or out across the open ez the case may be. It’s
oncomfortably nigh the camp, this cabin; but I ’magine it’s the safest
place till the mornin’ breaks.’
He sat down at the door of the cabin, and pulling out a piece of the
corporal’s biscuit, ate it with relish. Half an hour passed, and the
deep stillness acting soothingly upon his tired nerves, he began to
feel drowsy, and actually nodded once or twice.
 ‘This won’t do,’ he muttered. ‘I must keep awake; it’——Another
nod, and then he sprang noiselessly to his feet, wide awake and
quivering in every limb. He heard, or thought he heard, a scratching
sound at the window of the hut.
He strained his ears to listen, ready the instant that doubt became
certainty to flee across the open into the fields once more.
Again that faint scratching sound, this time a little louder, and
accompanied by a gentle tapping.
‘It’s a squirr’l, I reckon,’ thought Ephraim, much relieved. ‘He has
maybe got a knot hole on the roof.’
‘Whippo-wil! whippo-wil! whippo-wil!’
Ephraim stiffened into attention again. There was nothing
extraordinary about the sound. It was night, or rather very early
morning, the time when the whip-poor-wills took their exercise and
screamed out their loud, clear notes; but there was something else.
In the old days at Staunton, which the startling events of the last four
and twenty hours had crowded so far into the background that they
seemed removed by a distance of years from the present, it had been
Luce’s custom to come whip-poor-willing down the little back street
where Ephraim lived, to give his friend timely notice of his approach.
Therefore the sound had a greater significance for the Grizzly.
‘Hear thet bird!’ he said to himself. ‘It’s jest what Luce use ter do.
My! I wonder will I ever git back to the old home again.’
‘Whippo-wil! whippo-wil! whippo-wil! Tap, tap, tap!’
Now a whip-poor-will may sing its song at night, but it does not
usually perch upon a window-sill and lightly tap to attract attention,
and this was borne home to Ephraim when for the third time the cry
was repeated, followed by the mysterious rapping.
Ephraim’s heart gave a great leap. ‘It can’t be!’ he said, in the
silence of his brain. ‘It can’t be! I reckon I must find out, though.’
He crept noiselessly round the cabin and peered beyond the angle
of the wall in the direction of the window.
The space at the back of the hut was darker than that at the front,
for the nearness of the woods threw an additional gloom; but
Ephraim, staring into the dark, could just make out a figure standing
at a little distance from the window with outstretched arm, which
rose and fell rhythmically, and at every movement came the light tap,
tap of a switch upon the sill.
‘Whippo-wil! whippo’——
‘Luce!’
‘Grizzly!’
There was a rush through the darkness, the shock of a violent
meeting, and panting, trembling, almost sobbing with joy, the two
friends clung to one another in a fervent embrace.
‘Luce!’ whispered the Grizzly, the words falling in broken syllables
from his lips. ‘What ye doin’ hyar? I thought ye would be safe and fur
away.’
‘I didn’t know what had become of you,’ whispered Lucius back;
‘but I imagined that if you had got away you would make for the
cabin. It seemed the most likely place. Oh, I’m so glad! I’m so glad!’
‘I’m glad too; but I’m sorry ez well, fer I thought ye would be well
within our lines. Ugh! Ah!’
‘What is the matter?’ asked Lucius in alarm, as at another friendly
hug Ephraim uttered a low cry of pain.
‘It’s nuthin’, bub. On’y I got it in the shoulder, and ye gripped me
thar. Come into the cabin. We’ll be safer thet way.’
‘What! Are you wounded?’ inquired Lucius anxiously, as he
followed Ephraim in through the window.
‘Jest a scrape on the shoulder. Never mind it. Tell me what
happened after ye left me. I reckon ye ran back the way ye had come.
I heard ye shoutin’.’
‘No, I didn’t,’ answered Lucius. ‘At least, only for a few steps, and
then I made a break clean away. And I got through,’ he added
proudly.
‘Through the ring thet was round ye?’ queried Ephraim, not
understanding.
‘No,’ replied Lucius; ‘through their lines and into ours.’
‘What! Ye—got—through—inter—our—lines?’
‘Yes; and gave the despatch to General Jackson.’
‘The despatch? Ginrul Jackson? Luce, what air ye sayin’?’
 ‘I am telling you just what happened,’ answered Lucius. ‘Didn’t you
miss it? The despatch, I mean. I found it in my pouch. We must have
changed belts without knowing it in the darkness of the cave.’
‘Ye found the despatch, and ye got inter our lines, and ye gave it ter
old Stonewall, I onderstand ye ter say!’ said Ephraim, still
bewildered.
‘I did, all three.’ He laughed a low laugh of satisfaction.
‘Then why in thunder didn’t ye stay thar?’
‘Grizzly! Did you suppose that after all you have risked for me I
would run away and leave you without trying to find out what had
become of you? I had such a time with the General. He didn’t know
me, not a little bit, and he wouldn’t hear of my coming back. But he
was so kind, and when he saw how anxious I was about you, he
actually came with me himself as far as the outposts to find out if any
one had seen you come in where I did. And then’——He paused and
gave another little laugh.
‘And then?’ queried Ephraim, who had listened to the recital in
absolute silence.
‘Then I gave him the slip and bolted for the Federal lines. Some
one gave the order to fire; but the General—I had told him who I was
by that time—called out “Order—arms!” and I got clean away.’
‘And how did ye git ez fur ez this?’
‘I sneaked through somehow. No one saw me. I heard a shot; but it
was not fired at me, and I made for this cabin as fast as I could; for I
thought you would be here if anywhere.’
The Grizzly bent forward with his head upon his arms and groaned
aloud.
‘What is it?’ asked Lucius sympathetically. ‘Does your wound hurt
you?’
‘Wound!’ moaned Ephraim. ‘D’ye s’pose I’m thinkin’ about thet et
sech a time ez this? No, Luce, it’s you. That ye should git off safe and
all, and then start out to come back fer me. Oh, bub, why did ye do
it? Why did ye do it?’
‘Why shouldn’t I?’
‘And ye don’t seem ter know thet ye’ve done anythin’ out er the
way,’ said Ephraim in a wondering tone.
 ‘Grizzly, old stick, wouldn’t you have done as much for me?’
‘Thet’s different. I brought ye out, and it war my duty ter git ye
home agen ef it war anyways possible. Ye got yerself the best part er
the way—inter our lines, thet is—and now ye’ve been and run yer
head inter the hornet’s nest agen. And all fer me—all fer me. Luce, ye
didn’t orter hev done it. I warn’t wuth it, Luce.’ He sprang to his feet
and groped in the darkness for his friend. ‘I’ll never fergit what ye’ve
done fer me this day. Never ez long ez I live.’ His voice faltered, and
he wrung the younger boy’s hand in silence.
‘Shucks!’ exclaimed Lucius. ‘It’s nothing to talk about, and here I
am now. It doesn’t come up by a long measure to what you’ve done
for me from the time you broke into the pile till now. Besides, what’s
the use of being a friend if you don’t act friendly?’
‘Hear him!’ muttered Ephraim feebly. ‘It’s all very well, Luce. But I
can’t fergit it, and I’m not goin’ ter hev ye makin’ light er it.’
‘Well, here I am now,’ said Lucius; ‘and you are safe, I am thankful
to say. Tell me what has happened to you since last I saw you. I tell
you, while that fight was going on at the end of the ditch, I didn’t
know what to do, I was so frightened. I thought at first that the
miserable Yank had got you down.’
‘Don’t ye talk so airy er the miserable Yanks,’ said Ephraim
emphatically. ‘I’ve had more kindness ter-night from one or two of
’em than I kin well begin ter say. Ef it warn’t fer a miserable Yank, I
wouldn’t be hyar jest now.’ And taking up his story, he poured into
Luce’s astonished ear a graphic account of his adventures since his
arrest.
‘Well,’ commented Lucius when the tale was finished, ‘you have
had a time of it, and no mistake. I hope Jake Summers got back
before it was found out that you were missed. He must be a good
man. You see now what it is to be a kind old Grizzly, and go around
making little folks feel happy. I remember little Toots. And so he’s
dead?’
‘Yes,’ answered Ephraim, ‘and pore Jake took on orful when he
war tellin’ me about him. Yes, I do hope it will go well with Jake.’
‘I believe they won’t be likely to pry into that tent before dawn,’
said Lucius. ‘There’s no reason why they should. They want light to
hang a man, I should say.’
 ‘It don’t foller,’ replied Ephraim drily. ‘But thar’ll be light enuff
soon,’ he added, moving to the door and looking out; ’fer the sky is
beginnin’ ter brighten. It’s time fer us ter quit this establishment.’
‘Why shouldn’t we stay here?’ demurred Lucius. ‘I should think it
would be as safe a place as any.’
‘Not when the day dawns,’ answered Ephraim. ‘Ye don’t s’pose that
when they begin ter hunt fer me that they’re not likely ter give a look
in hyar ez they pass by.’
‘I imagine that they will have enough to think about without losing
time on your trail,’ said Lucius. ‘I saw certain signs as I came through
our camp with the General that something was about to happen.’
‘Maybe,’ returned Ephraim quaintly; ‘but ef they lay hold er me
before thet suthin’ happens, I wouldn’t be able ter take so much
interest in it ez otherwise. No; we musn’t stop hyar.’
‘Where shall we hide, then?’ asked Lucius. ‘I tell you I’ve had
enough of trying to break through lines.’
‘I agree with ye thar,’ assented Ephraim. ‘Thar must be no more er
that sort er fun. We must make a push across the woods and try and
reach the mountain. We kin hide thar well enuff, or make our way
along it, whichever seems most reasonable.’
‘We shall only lose ourselves in the wood again,’ protested Lucius.
‘What is the good of that?’
‘Even so, we’ll hev a better chance ter dodge out er sight among the
trees,’ argued Ephraim. ‘Honestly, I think it ain’t safe ter stay hyar.’
‘Well, go ahead,’ said Lucius. ‘I am with you whatever you do.
You’ve got the longest head.’
‘I couldn’t manage ter git the despatch through, fer all my long
head,’ exclaimed Ephraim admiringly.—‘Come along, then.’
They slipped through the window, and entered the wood in Indian
file, Lucius holding on to the skirt of Ephraim’s tunic, lest by any
chance they should get separated in the intense darkness, for though
the dawn was beginning to break, it would be some time yet before
the light would be powerful enough to illuminate the recesses of the
forest.
As the stars paled in the sky before the approach of morning, two
things happened, both fraught with importance to our fugitives,
though they plunged along, steering blindly through the wood,
trusting to Providence to guide them aright, and ignorant meanwhile
of the turn of events. First, Stonewall Jackson’s infantry began to
move across the foot-bridge which he had thrown over the South
Fork; and, secondly, Colonel Spriggs, tired of the ineffectual pursuit,
and resting his wearied men under the mountain not far from the
Confederate lines, sullenly turned his angry face once more in the
direction of his own camp. Not that he intended to reach it just yet.
His plan—a very simple one—was to lose himself in the wood until
the growing day should have revealed to him what the enemy were
about. If a battle should begin, he would thus be able to keep clear of
it; while, if otherwise, he could fall back upon the camp quietly and at
his leisure. But Colonel Spriggs had reckoned without General
Jackson, whose plans included the advance of Brigadier-general
Taylor’s Louisiana troops through the woods by the side of the
mountain, and it was therefore not improbable that Colonel Spriggs
would find himself in a very warm corner for once in his life before
the day was much older.
Of all these facts and probabilities, however, the boys knew
nothing as they held steadily on through the pathless woods, hoping
and trusting that their luck would lead them out upon the mountain-
side, and at the same time keeping a wary eye for possible surprises
or openings in the forest where an enemy might lurk.
The light grew stronger and the woods brighter, and suddenly they
came upon just such a place, a natural clearing, where the trees grew
thinly and the ground was covered with logs and underbrush. To
walk across this did not seem the right thing to do; but to their joy
they saw the mountain looming in front of them, and knew that at
least their faces were in the right direction.
‘It’ll not do ter cross over thar, Luce,’ said Ephraim in a low voice.
‘We must skirt it. Sh! I hear a sound. Down ter the ground! Thar’s
some one comin’ up.’
The wood, indeed, at that part was full of soldiers. The Louisiana
men were well forward, but unfortunately the boys had no suspicion
that their own men were so close at hand, and only reckoned that
they had to deal with their enemies, the Federals, who now appeared
to be surrounding them. Far away, but rapidly drawing nearer, they
could hear the tramp of stealthy footsteps, and now and again the
low hum of subdued voices. Nearer and nearer came the terrifying
sounds, and lower and lower they crouched, scarcely daring to
breathe.
‘It’s no use trying to skirt it, Luce,’ whispered Ephraim, his mouth
close to the boy’s ear. ‘They seem ter be all about us. They’ll crowd us
out before we know. We must make a dash across the open before
they git up, and try and reach thet other belt er wood. We’ll be safer
thar.’
‘There may be more on the other side,’ answered Lucius.
‘I know. We can’t help thet. We’ve got ter make a break fer
freedom, and chance the rest.’
They crawled to the edge of the clearing, and after one moment of
anxious listening, rose to their feet and stole swiftly into the open.
But no sooner had they broken cover than Ephraim, who was
leading, pulled up short, and with a sharp exclamation of surprise
dashed back again.
‘What is it?’ cried Lucius, following his friend’s example.
‘Look! look!’ whispered Ephraim excitedly. ‘Look over thar up in
the left angle er the clearing.’
‘Where?’ asked Lucius, peering out. ‘Oh!’ as his eyes encountered
an all too familiar object. ‘That horrible balloon.’
‘Bullee!’ exclaimed Ephraim excitedly. ‘This is whar we came down
yesterday, and thar’s old Blue Bag ready and willin’ ter carry us out
er this pesky difficulty. Bullee!’
However willing Blue Bag might be, it was a question whether she
would be able to aid her enthusiastic inventor, for what between her
travels and the time which had elapsed since she had been hauled
down and fastened to the log, a considerable quantity of gas had
leaked out of her, not to speak of that which Ephraim had
deliberately set free in order to bring about the descent. Still, she
floated with a certain amount of buoyancy, and Ephraim believed
and hoped that when lightened of every remaining scrap of ballast,
she would be capable of rising to a certain height, and of floating
them out of the dangerous proximity of the contending forces.
‘She wobbles a bit,’ said Ephraim, eyeing the balloon critically; ‘but
I reckon she’s good enuff yit ter take us past the Yanks, and thet’s all
we want. It don’t matter whether we come down in Staunton or in
Winchester, s’ long ez we git cl’ar er Lewiston. Come on, Luce. Thar
couldn’t be a better way than this. We’ve all the luck this mornin’.’
He had forgotten Luce’s little peculiarity in the matter of balloons,
and with another joyous ‘Come on!’ darted again into the open. The
next instant, finding himself alone, he stopped and looked back.
Lucius, deadly pale, with a queer strained look in his eyes, his
knees knocking together, and his body swaying from side to side, was
standing where Ephraim had left him, apparently unable to proceed.
‘What has struck ye, Luce?’ asked Ephraim anxiously. ‘Why don’t
ye come?’
‘I can’t,’ gasped Lucius. ‘I daren’t. It makes me sick to think of it.
I’d rather die.’
‘Waal,’ returned Ephraim, hugely disappointed, ‘ef ye can’t, ye
can’t. I’d fergotten how ye felt about it. No matter, we’ll make fer the
woods on the other side.—Ah, by time!’
He rushed back to Lucius and seized him by the hand. ‘Thar’s no
help fer it, Luce,’ he cried. ‘Ye must come onless ye reely want ter die.
I kin see the gleam er bay’nets through the trees on the other side.
We shall be headed off. Thar’s no other way.’
He dragged Lucius forward with all his might; but the boy hung
back, sliding his feet over the ground like a jibbing pony.
So they went until rather more than half the distance had been
covered, and then all at once a loud shout was raised behind them,
and Ephraim, looking hastily round, uttered a groan of despair.
Out from the coverts at the far end of the clearing rushed Colonel
Spriggs, his face aflame with excitement, and waving his sword as he
drew near.