Isprangup—myheartinmymouth。Thelongdreadedtimehadarrived;theRebelshadopenedthemassacreinwhichtheymustexterminateus,orwethem。
　　Ilookedacrosstotheoppositebank,onwhichwerestandingtwelvethousandmen——erect,excited,defiant。IwassurethatatthenextshottheywouldsurgestraightagainsttheStockadelikeamightyhumanbillow,andthenacarnagewouldbeginthelikeofwhichmoderntimeshadneverseen。
　　Theexcitementandsuspensewereterrible。Wewaitedforwhatseemedagesforthenextgun。Itwasnotfired。OldWinderwasmerelyshowingtheprisonershowhecouldrallytheguardstoopposeanoutbreak。
　　Thoughthegunhadashellinit,itwasmerelyasignal,andtheguardscamedouble—quickingupbyregiments,goingintopositionintheriflepitsandthehand—grenadepiles。
　　Aswerealizedwhatthewholeaffairmeant,werelievedoursurchargedfeelingswithafewgeneralyellsofexecrationuponRebelsgenerally,anduponthosearoundusparticularly,andresumedouroccupationofcookingrations,killinglice,anddiscussingtheprospectsofexchangeandescape。
　　Therations,likeeverythingelseaboutus,hadsteadilygrownworse。
　　AbakerywasbuiltoutsideoftheStockadeinMayandourmealwasbakedthereintoloavesaboutthesizeofbrick。Eachofusgotahalfofoneoftheseforaday'sration。This,andoccasionallyasmallsliceofsaltpork,wascallthatIreceived。Iwishthereaderwouldpreparehimselfanobjectlessonastohowlittlelifecanbesupportedonforanylengthoftime,byprocuringapieceofcornbreadthesizeofanordinarybrickbat,andathinsliceofpork,andthenimaginehowhewouldfare,withthatashissoledailyration,forlonghungryweeksandmonths。DioLewissatisfiedhimselfthathecouldsustainlifeonsixtycents,aweek。IamsurethatthefoodfurnishedusbytheRebelswouldnot,atpresentpricescostone—thirdthat。Theypretendedtogiveusone—thirdofpoundofbaconandoneandone—fourthpoundsofcornmeal。
　　Aweek'srationsthenwouldbetwoandone—thirdpoundsofbacon——worthtencents,andeightandthree—fourthspoundsofmeal,worth,say,tencentsmore。Asamatteroffact,Idonotpresumethatatanytimewegotthisfullration。Itwouldsurprisemetolearnthatweaveragedtwo—thirdsofit。
　　Themealwasgroundverycoarseandproducedgreatirritioninthebowels。Weusedtohavethemostfrightfulcrampsthatmeneversufferedfrom。Thosewhowerepredisposedintestinalaffectionswerespeedilycarriedoffbyincurablediarrheaanddysentery。Ofthetwelvethousandandtwelvemenwhodied,fourthousanddiedofchronicdiarrhea;eighthundredandseventeendiedofacutediarrhea,andonethousandthreehundredandeighty—fourdiedofdysenteria,makingtotalofsixthousandtwohundredandonevictimstoentericdisorders。
　　Letthereaderreflectamomentuponthisnumber,tillcomprehendsfullyhowmanysixthousandtwohundredandmenare,andhowmuchforce,energy,training,andrichpossibilitiesforthegoodofthecommunityandcountrydiedwiththosesixthousandtwohundredandoneyoung,activemen。ItmayhelphisperceptionofthemagnitudeofthisnumbertorememberthatthetotallossoftheBritish,duringtheCrimeanwar,bydeathinallshapes,wasfourthousandfivehundredandninety—five,oronethousandsevenhundredandsixlessthanthedeathsinAndersonvillefromdysentericdiseasesalone。
　　Theloathsomemaggotfliesswarmedaboutthebakery,anddroppedintothetroughwherethedoughwasbeingmixed,sothatitwasraretogetarationofbreadnotcontaminatedwithafewofthem。
　　Itwasnotlonguntilthebakerybecameinadequatetosupplybreadforalltheprisoners。Thengreatironkettleswereset,andmushwasissuedtoanumberofdetachments,insteadofbread。Therewasnotsomuchcleanlinessandcareinpreparingthisasafarmershowsincookingfoodforstock。Adeepwagon—bedwouldbeshoveledfullofthesmokingpaste,whichwasthenhailedinsideandissuedouttothedetachments,thelatterreceivingitonblankets,piecesofsheltertents,or,lackingeventhese,uponthebaresand。
　　Asstillmoreprisonerscamein,neitherbreadnormushcouldbefurnishedthem,andapartofthedetachmentsreceivedtheirrationsinmeal。Earnestsolicitationatlengthresultedinhavingoccasionalscantyissuesofwoodtocookthiswith。Mydetachmentwasallowedtochoosewhichitwouldtake——bread,mushormeal。Ittookthelatter。
　　Cookingthemealwasthetopicofdailyinterest。Therewerethreewaysofdoingit:Bread,mushand"dumplings。"Inthelatterthemealwasdampeneduntilitwouldholdtogether,andwasrolledintolittleballs,thesizeofmarbles,whichwerethenboiled。Thebreadwasthemostsatisfactoryandnourishing;themushthebulkiest——itmadeabiggershow,butdidnotstaywithonesolong。Thedumplingsheldanintermediateposition——thewaterinwhichtheywereboiledbecomingasortofabroththathelpedtostaythestomach。Wereceivednosalt,asarule。Nooneknowstheintenselongingforthis,whenonegoeswithoutitforawhile。When,afteraprivationofweekswewouldgetateaspoonfulofsaltapiece,itseemedasifeverymuscleinourbodieswasinvigorated。Wetradedbuttonstotheguardsforredpeppers,andmadeourmush,orbread,ordumplings,hotwiththefiery—pods,inhopesthatthiswouldmakeupforthelackofsalt,butitwasafailure。
　　OnepinchofsaltwasworthallthepepperpodsintheSouthernConfederacy。Mylittlesquad——nowdiminishedbydeathfromfivetothree——cookedourrationstogethertoeconomizewoodandwasteofmeal,andquarreledamong,ourselvesdailyastowhetherthejointstockshouldbeconvertedintobread,mushordumplings。Thedecisiondependeduponthestateofthestomach。Ifveryhungry,wemademush;iflessfamished,dumplings;ifdisposedtoweighmatters,bread。
　　Thismayseematriflingmatter,butitwasfarfromit。Weallrememberthemanwhowasveryfondofwhitebeans,butafterhavingfiftyorsixtymealsoftheminsuccession,begantofindasuspicionofmonotonyintheprovender。Wehadnowsixmonthsofunvaryingdietofcornmealandwater,andevensoslightachangeasavariationinthewayofcombiningthetwowasanagreeablenovelty。
　　AttheendofJunethereweretwenty—sixthousandthreehundredandsixty—sevenprisonersintheStockade,andonethousandtwohundred——justfortyperday——haddiedduringthemonth。
　　CHAPTERXXXI
　　DYINGBYINCHES——SEITZ,THESLOW,ANDHISDEATH——STIGGALLANDEMERSON——
　　RAVAGESONTHESCURVY。
　　MayandJunemadesadhavocinthealreadythinranksofourbattalion。
　　Nearlyascorediedinmycompany——L——andtheothercompaniessufferedproportionately。Amongthefirsttodieofmycompanycomrades,wasageniallittleCorporal,"Billy"Phillips——whowasafavoritewithusall。
　　Everythingwasdoneforhimthatkindnesscouldsuggest,butitwasoflittleavail。Then"Bruno"Weeks——ayoungboy,thesonofapreacher,whohadrunawayfromhishomeinFultonCounty,Ohio,tojoinus,succumbedtohardshipandprivation。
　　Thenexttogowasgood—natured,harmlessVictorSeitz,aDetroitcigarmaker,aGerman,andoneoftheslowestofcreatedmortals。Howheevercametogointothecavalrywasbeyondthewildestsurmisesofhiscomrades。Whyhissupernaturalslownessandclumsinessdidnotresultinhisbeingkilledatleastonceaday,whileintheservice,wasevenstillfartherbeyondthepowerofconjecture。NoaccidenteverhappenedinthecompanythatSeitzdidnothavesomesharein。Didahorsefallonaslipperyroad,itwasalmostsuretobeSeitz's,andthatimportedsonoftheFatherlandwasequallysuretobecaughtunderhim。Didsomebodytumbleoverabankofadarknight,itwasSeitzthatwesoonheardmakinghiswayback,swearingindeepGermangutterals,withfrequentallusionto'tausendteuflin。'Didashantyblowdown,weranoverandpulledSeitzoutofthedebris,whenhewouldexclaim:
　　"Zo！dotvosprettyvunnynow,ain'tit？"
　　AndashesurveyedthesceneofhistroublewithtrueGermanphlegm,hewouldfishabrier—woodpipefromtherecessesofhispockets,fillitwithtobacco,andgoploddingoffinacloudofsmokeinsearchofsomefreshwaytonarrowlyescapedestruction。Hedidnotknowenoughabouthorsestoputasnaffle—bitinone'smouth,andyethewoulddrawthefriskiest,mostmettlesomeanimalinthecorral,uponwhosebackhewasscarcelymoreathomethanhewouldbeuponaslackrope。Itwasnouncommonthingtoseeahorsebreakoutofranks,andgopastthebattalionlikethewind,withpoorSeitzclingingtohismanelikethetraditionalgrimDeathtoadeceasedAfrican。WethenknewthatSeitzhadthoughtlesslysunkthekeenspurshewouldpersistinwearing;deepintotheflanksofhishigh—mettledanimal。
　　Theseaccidentsbecamesomuchamatter—of—coursethatwhenanythingunusualoccurredinthecompanyourfirstimpulsewastogoandhelpSeitzout。
　　Whenthebuglesounded"bootsandsaddles,"therestofuswouldpackup,mount,"countoffbyfoursfromtheright,"andbereadytomoveoutbeforethelastnotesofthecallhadfairlydiedaway。Justthenwewouldnoticeanunsaddledhorsestilltiedtothehitchingplace。ItwasSeitz's,andthatworthywouldbeseenapproaching,pipeinmouth,andbridleinhand,withcalm,equablesteps,asifanytimebeforetheexpirationofhisenlistmentwouldbesoonenoughtoaccomplishthesaddlingofhissteed。Achorusofimpatientandderisiveremarkswouldgoupfromhisimpatientcomrades:
　　"Forheaven'ssake,Seitz,hurryup！"
　　"Seitz！youarelikeacow'stail——alwaysbehind！"
　　"Seitz,youareslowerthanthesecondcomingoftheSavior！"
　　"Christmasisarailroadtrainalongsideofyou,Seitz！"
　　"Ifyouain'tonthathorseinhalfasecond,Seitz,we'llgooffandleaveyou,andtheJohnnieswillskinyoualive！"etc。,etc。
　　NotarippleofemotionwouldrolloverSeitz'splacidfeaturesunderthesharpestoftheseobjurgations。Atlast,losingallpatience,twoorthreeboyswoulddismount,runtoSeitz'shorse,pack,saddleandbridlehim,asifhewerestruckwithawhirlwind。ThenSeitzwouldmount,andwewouldmove'off。
　　Forallthis,welikedhim。Hisgoodnaturewasboundless,andhisdispositiontoobligeequaltotheseveresttest。Hedidnotlackagrainofhisfullshareofthecalm,steadfastcourageofhisrace,andwouldstaywherehewasput,thoughErebusyawnedandbadehimfly。
　　Hewasveryuseful,despitehisunfitnessformanyofthedutiesofacavalryman。Hewasagoodguard,andalwaysreadytotakechargeofprisoners,orbesentryaroundwagonsoraforagepile—dutiesthatmostoftheboyscordiallyhated。
　　ButhecameintothelasttroubleatAndersonville。HestoodupprettywellunderthehardshipsofBelleIsle,butlosthischeerfulness——hisunrepiningcalmness——afterafewweeksintheStockade。Onedaywerememberedthatnoneofushadseenhimforseveraldays,andwestartedinsearchofhim。Wefoundhiminadistantpartofthecamp,lyingneartheDeadLine。Hislongfairhairwasmattedtogether,hisblueeyeshadtheflushoffever。Everypartofhisclothingwasgraywiththelicethatwerehasteninghisdeathwiththeirtorments。HeutteredthefirstcomplaintIeverheardhimmake,asIcameuptohim:
　　"MyGott,M————,disisworsedunadog'sdet！"
　　Inafewdayswegavehimallthefuneralinourpower;tiedhisbigtoestogether,foldedhishandsacrosshisbreast,pinnedtohisshirtaslipofpaper,uponwhichwaswritten:
　　VICTORE。SEITZ,Co。L,SixteenthIllinoisCavalry。
　　AndlaidhisbodyattheSouthGate,besidesomescoresofothersthatwereawaitingthearrivalofthesix—mulewagonthathauledthemtothePotter'sField,whichwastobetheirlastresting—place。
　　JohnEmersonandJohnStiggall,ofmycompany,weretwoNorwegianboys,andfinespecimensoftheirrace——intelligent,faithful,andalwaysreadyforduty。TheyhadanaffectionforeachotherthatremindedoneofthestoriestoldoftheswornattachmentandtheunfailingdevotionthatwerecommonbetweentwoGothicwarrioryouths。ComingintoAndersonvillesomelittletimeaftertherestofus,theyfoundallthedesirablegroundtakenup,andtheyestablishedtheirquartersatthebaseofthehill,neartheSwamp。Theretheydugalittleholetoliein,andputinalayerofpineleaves。Betweenthemtheyhadanovercoatandablanket。
　　Atnighttheylayuponthecoatandcoveredthemselveswiththeblanket。
　　Bydaytheblanketservedasatent。Thehardshipsandannoyancesthatweenduredmadeeverybodyelsecrossandirritable。Attimesitseemedimpossibletosayorlistentopleasantwords,andnobodywaseverallowedtogoanylengthoftimespoilingforafight。Hecouldusuallybeaccommodateduponthespottoanyextenthedesired,bysimplymakinghiswishesknown。Eventhebestofchumswouldhavesharpquarrelsandbriskfights,andthisdispositionincreasedasdiseasemadegreaterinroadsuponthem。Isawinoneinstancetwobrothers—bothofwhomdiedthenextdayofscurvy——andwhoweresohelplessastobeunabletorise,pullthemselvesupontheirkneesbyclenchingthepolesoftheirtents——
　　inordertostrikeeachotherwithclubs,andtheykeptstrikinguntilthebystandersinterferedandtooktheirweaponsawayfromthem。
　　ButStiggallandEmersonneverquarreledwitheachother。Theirtendernessandaffectionwereremarkabletowitness。Theybegantogothewaythatsomanyweregoing;diarrheaandscurvysetin;theywastedawaytilltheirmusclesandtissuesalmostdisappeared,leavingtheskinlyingfiatuponthebones;buttheirprincipalsolicitudewasforeachother,andeachseemedactuallyjealousofanypersonelsedoinganythingfortheother。ImetEmersononeday,withonelegdrawnclearoutofshape,andrenderedalmostuselessbythescurvy。Hewasveryweak,butwashobblingdowntowardstheCreekwithabucketmadefromabootleg。
　　Isaid:
　　"Johnny,justgivemeyourbucket。I'llfillitforyou,andbringituptoyourtent。"
　　"No;muchobliged,M————"hewheezedout;"mypardnerwantsacooldrink,andIguessI'dbettergetitforhim。"
　　StiggalldiedinJune。Hewasoneofthefirstvictimsofscurvy,which,inthesucceedingfewweeks,carriedoffsomany。Allofuswhohadreadsea—storieshadreadmuchofthisdiseaseanditshorrors,butwehadlittleconceptionofthedreadfulreality。Itusuallymanifesteditselffirstinthemouth。Thebreathbecameunbearablyfetid;thegumsswelleduntiltheyprotruded,lividanddisgusting,beyondthelips。Theteethbecamesoloosethattheyfrequentlyfellout,andthesuffererwouldpickthemupandsetthembackintheirsockets。Inattemptingtobitethehardcornbreadfurnishedbythebakerytheteethoftenstuckfastandwerepulledout。Thegumshadafashionofbreakingaway,inlargechunks,whichwouldbeswallowedorspitout。Allthetimeonewaseatinghismouthwouldbefilledwithblood,fragmentsofgumsandloosenedteeth。
　　Frightful,malignantulcersappearedinotherpartsofthebody;theever—presentmaggotflieslaideggsinthese,andsoonwormsswarmedtherein。Thesuffererlookedandfeltasif,thoughheyetlivedandmoved,hisbodywasanticipatingtherottingitwouldundergoalittlelaterinthegrave。
　　Thelastchangewasusheredinbythelowerpartsofthelegsswelling。
　　Whenthisappeared,weconsideredthemandoomed。Weallhadscurvy,moreorless,butaslongasitkeptoutofourlegswewerehopeful。
　　First,theanklejointsswelled,thenthefootbecameuseless。Theswellingincreaseduntilthekneesbecamestiff,andtheskinfromthesedownwasdistendeduntilitlookedpale,colorlessandtransparentasatightlyblownbladder。Thelegwassomuchlargeratthebottomthanatthethigh,thatthesufferersusedtomakegrimjokesaboutbeingmodeledlikeachurn,"withthebiggestenddown。"Themanthenbecameutterlyhelplessandusuallydiedinashorttime。
　　Theofficialreportputsdownthenumberofdeathsfromscurvyatthreethousandfivehundredandseventy—four,butDr。Jones,theRebelsurgeon,reportedtotheRebelGovernmenthisbeliefthatnine—tenthsofthegreatmortalityoftheprisonwasdue,eitherdirectlyorindirectly,tothiscause。
　　TheonlyeffortmadebytheRebeldoctorstocheckitsravageswasoccasionallytogiveahandfulofsumachberriestosomeparticularlybadcase。
　　WhenStiggalldiedwethoughtEmersonwouldcertainlyfollowhiminadayortwo,but,tooursurprise,helingeredalonguntilAugustbeforedying。
　　CHAPTERXXXII
　　"OLEBOO,"AND"OLESOL,THEHAYMAKER"——AFETID,BURNINGDESERT——NOISOME
　　WATER,ANDTHEEFFECTSOFDRINKINGIT——STEALINGSOFTSOAP。
　　ThegraduallylengtheningSummerdayswereinsufferablylongandwearisome。Eachwashotter,longerandmoretediousthanitspredecessors。Inmycompanywasanone—too—brightfellow,namedDawson。
　　Duringthechillyrainsorthenipping,windsofourfirstdaysinprison,Dawsonwould,asherosein,themorning,surveytheforbiddingskieswithlack—lustereyesandremark,oracularly:
　　"Well,OleBoogitsusagin,to—day。"
　　Hewassounvaryinginthissalutationtothemornthathisdesignationofdisagreeableweatheras"OleBoo"becamegenerallyadoptedbyus。
　　Whenthehotweathercameon,Dawson'sremark,uponrisingandseeingexcellentprospectsforascorcher,changedto:"Well,OleSol,theHaymaker,isgoingtogitinhisworkonusaginto—day。"
　　Aslongashelivedandwasabletotalk,thiswasDawson'sinvariableobservationatthebreakofday。
　　Hewasquiteright。TheOleHaymakerwoulddosomefamousworkbeforehedescendedintheWest,sendinghislevelraysthroughthewideintersticesbetweenthesomberpines。
　　Bynineo'clockinthemorninghisbeamswouldbegintofairlysingeeverythinginthecrowdedpen。ThehotsandwouldglowasoneseesitinthecenteroftheunshadedhighwaysomescorchingnooninAugust。Thehighwallsoftheprisonpreventedthecirculationinsideofanybreezethatmightbeinmotion,whilethefoulstenchrisingfromtheputridSwampandtherottinggroundseemedtoreachtheskies。
　　Onecanreadilycomprehendthehorrorsofdeathontheburningsandsofadesert。Butthedesertsandisatleastclean;thereisnothingworseaboutitthanheatandintensedryness。Itisnot,asthatwasatAndersonville,poisonedwiththeexcretionsofthousandsofsickanddyingmen,filledwithdisgustingvermin,andloadingtheairwiththegermsofdeath。Thedifferenceisasthatbetweenabrick—kilnandasewer。ShouldthefateseverdecidethatIshallbeflungoutuponsandstoperish,IbegthatthehottestplaceintheSaharamaybeselected,ratherthansuchaspotastheinterioroftheAndersonvilleStockade。
　　Itmaybesaidthatwehadanabundanceofwater,whichmadeadecidedimprovementonadesert。Doubtless——hadthatwaterbeenpure。Buteverymouthfulofitwasabloodpoison,andhelpedpromotediseaseanddeath。
　　EvenbeforereachingtheStockadeitwassopollutedbythedrainageoftheRebelcampsastobeutterlyunfitforhumanuse。Inourpartoftheprisonwesankseveralwells——someasdeepasfortyfeet——toprocurewater。Wehadnoothertoolsforthisthanourever—faithfulhalfcanteens,andnothingwherewithtowallthewells。Butafirmclaywasreachedafewfeetbelowthesurface,whichaffordedtolerablestrongsidesforthelowerpart,anafurnishedmaterialtomakeadobebricksforcurbstokeepoutthesandoftheupperpart。Thesideswerecontinuallygivingaway,however,andfellowswereperpetuallyfallingdowntheholes,tothegreatdamageoftheirlegsandarms。Thewater,whichwasdrawnupinlittlecans,orbootlegbuckets,bystringsmadeofstripsofcloth,wasmuchbetterthanthatofthecreek,butwasstillfarfrompure,asitcontainedtheseepagefromthefilthyground。
　　Theintenseheatledmentodrinkgreatquantitiesofwater,andthissuperinducedmalignantdropsicalcomplaints,which,nexttodiarrhea,scurvyandgangrene,weretheailmentsmostactiveincarryingmenoff。
　　Thoseaffectedinthiswayswelledupfrightfullyfromdaytoday。Theirclothesspeedilybecametoosmallforthem,andwererippedoff,leavingthementirelynaked,andtheysufferedintenselyuntildeathatlastcametotheirrelief。Amongthoseofmysquadwhodiedinthisway,wasayoungmannamedBaxter,oftheFifthIndianaCavalry,takenatChicamauga。Hewasveryfinelooking——tall,slender,withregularfeaturesandintenselyblackhairandeyes;hesangnicely,andwasgenerallyliked。Amorepitiableobjectthanhe,whenlastIsawhim,justbeforehisdeath,cannotbeimagined。Hisbodyhadswollenuntilitseemedmarvelousthatthehumanskincouldbearsomuchdistentionwithoutdisruption,Alltheoldlookofbrightintelligencehadbeen。
　　drivenfromhisfacebythedistortionofhisfeatures。Hisswarthyhairandbeard,grownlongandragged,hadthatpeculiarrepulsivelookwhichtheblackhairofthesickispronetoassume。
　　Iattributedmuchofmyfreedomfromthediseasestowhichotherssuccumbedtoabstentionfromwaterdrinking。LongbeforeIenteredthearmy,Ihadconstructedatheory——onpremisesthatweredoubtlessasinsufficientasthosethatboyishtheoriesareusuallybasedupon——thatdrinkingwaterwasahabit,andaperniciousone,whichsappedawaytheenergy。Itooksometroubletocurbmyappetiteforwater,andsoonfoundthatIgotalongverycomfortablywithoutdrinkinganythingbeyondthatwhichwascontainedinmyfood。Ifollowedthisupafterenteringthearmy,drinkingnothingatanytimebutalittlecoffee,andfindingnoneed,evenonthedustiestmarches,foranythingmore。IdonotpresumethatinayearIdrankaquartofcoldwater。Experienceseemedtoconfirmmyviews,forInoticedthatthefirsttosinkunderafatigue,ortoyieldtosickness,werethosewhowerealwaysonthelookoutfordrinkingwater,springingfromtheirhorsesandstrugglingaroundeverywellorspringonthelineofmarchforanopportunitytofilltheircanteens。
　　ImadeliberaluseoftheCreekforbathingpurposes,however,visitingitfourorfivetimesa,dayduringthehotdays,towashmyselfallover。Thisdidnotcooloneoffmuch,fortheshallowstreamwasnearlyashotasthesand,butitseemedtodosomegood,andithelpedpassawaythetedioushours。Thestreamwasnearlyallthetimefilledasfullofbathersastheycouldstand,andthewatercoulddolittletowardscleansingsomany。Theoccasionalrainstormsthatsweptacrosstheprisonwerewelcomed,notonlybecausetheycooledtheairtemporarily,butbecausetheygaveusashower—bath。Astheycameup,nearlyeveryonestrippednakedandgotoutwherehecouldenjoythefullbenefitofthefallingwater。Fancy,ifpossible,thespectacleoftwenty—fivethousandorthirtythousandmenwithoutastitchofclothinguponthem。Thelikehasnotbeenseen,Iimagine,sincethenakedfollowersofBoadiceagatheredinforcetodobattletotheRomaninvaders。
　　Itwasimpossibletogetreallyclean。Ourbodiesseemedcoveredwithavarnish—like,gummymatterthatdefiedremovalbywateralone。
　　Iimaginedthatitcamefromtherosinorturpentine,arisingfromthelittlepitchpinefiresoverwhichwehoveredwhencookingourrations。
　　Itwouldyieldtonothingexceptstrongsoap—andsoap,asIhavebeforestated——wasnearlyasscarceintheSouthernConfederacyassalt。Weinprisonsawevenlessofit,orrather,noneatall。Thescarcityofit,andourdesireforit,recallsabitofpersonalexperience。
　　Ihadsteadfastlyrefusedalloffersofpositionsoutsidetheprisononparole,as,likethegreatmajorityoftheprisoners,myhatredoftheRebelsgrewmorebitter,daybyday;IfeltasifIwouldratherdiethanacceptthesmallestfavorattheirhands,andIsharedthecommoncontemptforthosewhodid。But,whenthemovementforagrandattackontheStockade——mentionedinapreviouschapter——wasapparentlyrapidlycomingtoahead,Iwasofferedatemporarydetailoutsideto,assistinmakingupsomerolls。Iresolvedtoaccept;firstbecauseIthoughtI
　　mightgetsomeinformationthatwouldbeofuseinourenterprise;and,next,becauseIforesawthattherushthroughthegapsintheStockadewouldbebloodybusiness,andbygoingoutinadvanceIwouldavoidthatmuchofthedanger,andstillbeabletogiveeffectiveassistance。
　　IwastakenuptoWirz'soffice。HewaswritingatadeskatoneendofalargeroomwhentheSergeantbroughtmein。Heturnedaround,toldtheSergeanttoleaveme,andorderedmetositdownuponaboxattheotherendoftheroom。
　　Turninghisbackandresuminghiswriting,inafewminuteshehadforgottenme。Isatquietly,takinginthedetailsforahalf—hour,andthen,havingexhaustedeverythingelseintheroom,IbeganwonderingwhatwasinthebogIwassittingupon。Thelidwasloose;IhitcheditforwardalittlewithoutattractingWirz'sattention,andslippedmylefthanddownofavoyageofdiscovery。ItseemedverylikelythattherewassomethingtherethataloyalYankeedeservedbetterthanaRebel。
　　Ifoundthatitwasafinearticleofsoftsoap。Ahandfulwasscoopedupandspeedilyshovedintomyleftpantaloonpocket。ExpectingeveryinstantthatWirzwouldturnaroundandordermetocometothedesktoshowmyhandwriting,hastilyandfurtivelywipedmyhandonthebackofmyshirtandwatchedWirzwithasinnocentanexpressionasaschoolboyassumeswhenhehasjustflippedachewedpaperwadacrosstheroom。
　　Wirzwasstillengrossedinhiswriting,anddidnotlookaround。Iwasemboldenedtoreachdownforanotherhandful。Thiswasalsosuccessfullytransferred,thehandwipedoffonthebackoftheshirt,andthefaceworeitsexpressionofinfantileingenuousness。StillWirzdidnotlookup。Ikeptdippinguphandfulafterhandful,untilIhadgottenaboutaquartinthelefthandpocket。AftereachhandfulIrubbedmyhandoffonthebackofmyshirtandwaitedaninstantforasummonstothedesk。
　　Thentheprocesswasrepeatedwiththeotherhand,andaquartofthesaponaceousmushwaspackedintherighthandpocketShortlyafterWirzroseandorderedaguardtotakemeawayandkeepme,untilhedecidedwhattodowithme。Thedaywasintenselyhot,andsoonthesoapinmypocketsandonthebackofmyshirtbeganburninglikedoublestrengthSpanishflyblisters。Therewasnothingtodobutgrinandbearit。Isetmyteeth,squatteddownundertheshadeoftheparapetofthefort,andstooditsilentlyandsullenly。ForthefirsttimeinmylifeIthoroughlyappreciatedthestoryoftheSpartanboy,whostolethefoxandsufferedtheanimaltotearhisbowelsoutratherthangiveasignwhichwouldleadtotheexposureofhistheft。
　　Betweenfourandfiveo'clock—afterIhadenduredthethingforfiveorsixhours,aguardcamewithordersfromWirzthatIshouldbereturnedtotheStockade。Uponhastilyremovingmyclothes,aftercominginside,IfoundIhadablisteroneachthigh,andonedownmyback,thatwouldhavedelightedanoldpractitioneroftheheroicschool。ButIalsohadahalfgallonofexcellentsoftsoap。MychumsandItookamagnificentwash,andgaveourclothesthesame,andwestillhadsoapenoughlefttobarterforsomeonionsthatwehadlongcoveted,andwhichtastedassweettousasmannatotheIsraelites。
　　CHAPTERXXXIII
　　"POURPASSERLETEMPS"——ASETOFCHESSMENPROCUREDUNDERDIFFICULTIES——
　　RELIGIOUSSERVICES——THEDEVOTEDPRIEST——WARSONG。
　　Thetimemovedwithleadenfeet。Dothebestwecould,therewereverymanytiresomehoursforwhichnooccupationwhatevercouldbefound。
　　Allthatwasnecessarytobedoneduringtheday——attendingrollcall,drawingandcookingrations,killingliceandwashing——couldbedisposedofinanhour'stime,andwewereleftwithfifteenorsixteenwakinghours,forwhichtherewasabsolutelynoemployment。Verymanytriedtoescapeboththeheatandennuibysleepingasmuchaspossiblethroughtheday,butInoticedthatthosewhodidthissoondied,andconsequentlyIdidnotdoit。Cardplayinghadsufficedtopassawaythehoursatfirst,butourcardssoonworeout,anddeprivedusofthisresource。Mychum,Andrews,andIconstructedasetofchessmenwithaninfinitedealoftrouble。Wefoundasoft,whiterootintheswampwhichansweredourpurpose。Aboynearushadatolerablysharppocket—knife,fortheuseofwhichacoupleofhourseachday,wegaveafewspoonfulsofmeal。Theknifewastheonlyoneamongalargenumberofprisoners,astheRebelguardshadanaffectionforthatstyleofcutlery,whichledthemtosearchincomingprisoners,veryclosely。Thefortunateownerofthisderivedquitealittleincomeofmealbyshrewdlyloaningittohisknifelesscomrades。Theshapesthatwemadeforpiecesandpawnswerenecessarilyveryrude,buttheyweresufficientlydistinctforidentification。Weblackenedonesetwithpitchpinesoot,foundapieceofplankthatwouldanswerforaboardandpurchaseditfromitspossessorforpartofarationofmeal,andsowerefittedoutwithwhatserveduntilourreleasetodistractourattentionfrommuchofthesurroundingmisery。
　　Everyoneelseprocuredsuchamusementastheycould。Newcomers,whostillhadmoneyandcards,gambledaslongastheirmeanslasted。Thosewhohadbooksreadthemuntiltheleavesfellapart。Thosewhohadpaperandpenandinktriedtowritedescriptionsandkeepjournals,butthiswasusuallygivenupafterbeinginprisonafewweeks。Iwasfortunateenoughtoknowaboywhohadbroughtacopyof"Gray'sAnatomy"intoprisonwithhim。Iwasnotspeciallyinterestedinthesubject,butitwasHobson'schoice;Icouldreadanatomyornothing,andsoItackleditwithsuchgoodwillthatbeforemyfriendbecamesickandwastakenoutside,andhisbookwithhim,Ihadobtainedaveryfairknowledgeoftherudimentsofphysiology。