AfterhegotthroughhewentbacktoGrower,examinedhiswound,andtoldhimthathecouldonlyliveafewhours。Growerreceivedthenewstranquilly,hadtheDoctorwritealettertohiswife,andgavehimhisthingstosendher,andthengraspingtheDoctor'shand,hesaid:
　　"Doctor,I'vejustonemorefavortoask;willyougrantit？'
　　"TheDoctorsaid,'Certainly;whatisit？'
　　"YousayIcan'tlivebutafewhours？'
　　"Yes;thatistrue。'
　　"AndthatIwilllikelybeingreatpain！'
　　"Iamsorrytosayso。'
　　"Well,then,dogivememorphiaenoughtoputmetosleep,sothatIwillwakeuponlyinanotherworld。'
　　"TheDoctordidso;ColonelGrowerthankedhim;wrunghishand,badehimgood—by,andwenttosleeptowakenomore。"
　　"Doyoubelieveinpresentimentsandsuperstitions？"saidanotheroftheFourteenth。TherewasFisherPray,OrderlySergeantofCompanyI。HecamefromWaterville,O。,wherehisfolksarenowliving。Thedaybeforewestartedouthehadapresentimentthatweweregoingintoafight,andthathewouldbekilled。Hecouldn'tshakeitoff。HetoldtheLieutenant,andsomeoftheboysaboutit,andtheytriedtoridiculehimoutofit,butitwasnogood。Whenthesharpfiringbrokeoutinfrontsomeoftheboyssaid,'Fisher,Idobelieveyouareright,'andhenoddedhisheadmournfully。Whenwewerepilingknapsacksforthecharge,theLieutenant,whowasagreatfriendofFisher's,said:
　　"Fisher,youstayhereandguardtheknapsacks。'
　　"Fisher'sfaceblazedinaninstant。
　　"No,sir,'saidhe;Inevershirkedafightyet,andIwon'tbeginnow。'
　　"Sohewentintothefight,andwaskilled,asheknewhewouldbe。Now,that'swhatIcallnerve。"
　　"ThesamethingwastrueofSergeantArthurTarbox,ofCompanyA,"saidthenarrator;"hehadapresentiment,too;heknewhewasgoingtobekilled,ifhewentin,andhewasofferedanhonorablechancetostayout,buthewouldnottakeit,andwentinandwaskilled。"
　　"Well,westaidtherethenextday,buriedourdead,tookcareofourwounded,andgathereduptheplunderwehadtakenfromtheJohnnies。
　　Therestofthearmywentoff,'hotblocks,'afterHardeeandtherestofHood'sarmy,whichitwashopedwouldbecaughtoutsideofentrenchments。
　　ButHoodhadtoomuchthestart,andgotintotheworksatLovejoy,aheadofourfellows。Thenightbeforeweheardseveralveryloudexplosionsuptothenorth。Weguessedwhatthatmeant,andsodidtheTwentiethCorps,whowerelyingbackattheChattahoochee,andthenextmorningtheGeneralcommanding——Slocum——sentoutareconnaissance。ItwasmetbytheMayorofAtlanta,whosaidthattheRebelshadblownuptheirstoresandretreated。TheTwentiethCorpsthencameinandtook'possessionoftheCity,andthenextday——the3d——Shermancamein,andissuedanorderdeclaringthecampaignatanend,andthatwewouldrestawhileandrefit。
　　"WelaidaroundAtlantaagoodwhile,andthingsquieteddownsothatitseemedalmostlikepeace,afterthefourmonthsofcontinualfightingwehadgonethrough。Wehadbeenunderastrainsolongthatnowweboyswentintheotherdirection,andbecametoocareless,andthat'showwegotpickedup。Wewentoutaboutfivemilesonenightafteralotofnicesmokedhamsthataniggertolduswerestoredinanoldcottonpress,andwhichweknewwouldbeenoughsightbettereatingforCompanyC,thanthecommissaryporkwehadlivedonsolong。Wefoundthecottonpress,andthehams,justastheniggertoldus,andwehitchedupateamtotakethemintocamp。Aswehadn'tseenanyJohnnysignsanywhere,wesetourgunsdowntohelploadthemeat,andjustasweallcamestringingouttothewagonwithasmuchmeataswecouldcarry,acompanyofFerguson'sCavalrypoppedoutofthewoodsaboutonehundredyardsinfrontofusandwereontopofusbeforewecouldsayIscat。Youseethey'dheardofthemeat,too。"
　　CHAPTERLVII。
　　AFAIRSACRIFICE——THESTORYOFONEBOYWHOWILLINGLYGAVEHISYOUNGLIFE
　　FORHISCOUNTRY。
　　CharleyBarbourwasoneofthetruest—heartedandbest—likedofmyschool—boychumsandfriends。Forseveraltermswesattogetheronthesameuncompromisinglyuncomfortablebench,worriedoverthesameboy—
　　maddeningproblemsin"Ray'sArithmetic—PartIII。,"learnedthesamejargonofmeaninglessrulesfrom"Greene'sGrammar,"ponderedover"Mitchell'sGeographyandAtlas,"andtriedinvaintounderstandwhyProvidencemadethesurfaceofoneStateobtrusivelypinkandanotherultramarineblue;trodslowlyandpainfullyovertheruggedroad"Bullion"pointsoutforbeginnersinLatin,andbegantobelieveweshouldhateourselvesandeverybodyelse,ifweweregottenupafterthemannershownby"Cutter'sPhysiology。"Wewerecaughttogetherinthesamelongseriesofschool—boyscrapes——andwereusuallyferruledtogetherbythesamestrong—armedteacher。Wesharednearlyeverything——ourfunandwork;enjoymentandannoyance——allweregenerallymetedouttoustogether。Wereadfromthesamebooksthestoryofthewonderfulworldweweregoingtoseeinthatbrightfuture"whenweweremen;"wespentourSaturdaysandvacationsintheminiatureexplorationsoftherockyhillsandcaves,anddarkcedarwoodsaroundourhomes,togatherocularhelpstoabettercomprehensionofthatmagicallandwhichwewereconvincedbeganjustbeyondourhorizon,andhadinit,visibletotheeyeofhimwhotraveledthroughitsenchantedbreadth,allthat"Gulliver'sFables,"the"ArabianNights,"andahundredbooksoftravelandadventuretoldof。
　　Weimaginedthattheonlydullandcommonplacespotonearthwasthatwherewelived。Everywhereelselifewasagrandspectaculardrama,fullofthrillingeffects。
　　Braveandhandsomeyoungmenwererescuingdistresseddamsels,beautifulastheywerewealthy;bloodypiratesandswarthymurdererswerebeingfoiledbyquaintspokenbackwoodsmen,whocarriedunerringrifles;
　　gallantbutblunderingIrishmen,speakingthemostdelightfulbrogue,andmakingthefunniestmistakes,weredailythwartingcoolanddeterminedvillains;boldtarswereencounteringfearfulseaperils;
　　lionheartedadventurerswerecowingandquellingwholetribesofbarbarians;magicianswerecastingspells,misershoardinggold,scientistsmakingastonishingdiscoveries,poorandunknownboysachievingwealthandfameatasinglebound,hiddenmysteriescomingtolight,andsotheworldwasgoingon,makingreamsofhistorywitheachdiurnalrevolution,andfurnishingboundlessmaterialforthemostdelightfulbooks。
　　AttheageofthirteenaperusalofthelivesofBenjaminFranklinandHoraceGreeleyprecipitatedmydeterminationtonolongerhesitateinlaunchingmysmallbarkuponthegreatocean。Iranawayfromhomeinatrulyromanticway,andplacedmyfootonwhatIexpectedtobethefirstroundoftheladderoffame,bybecoming"devilboy"inaprintingofficeinadistantlargeCity。Charley'sattachmenttohismotherandhishomewastoostrongtopermithimtotakethisstep,andwepartedinsorrow,mitigatedonmysidebyroseatedreamsofthefuture。
　　Sixyearspassed。OnehotAugustmorningImetanoldacquaintanceattheCreek,inAndersonville。Hetoldmetocometherethenextmorning,afterroll—call,andhewouldtakemetoseesomepersonwhowasveryanxioustomeetme。Iwaspromptattherendezvous,andwassoonjoinedbytheotherparty。Hethreadedhiswayslowlyforoverhalfanhourthroughtheclosely—jumbledmassoftentsandburrows,andatlengthstoppedinfrontofablanket—tentinthenorthwesterncorner。Theoccupantroseandtookmyhand。ForaninstantIwaspuzzled;thentheclear,blueeyes,andwell—rememberedsmilerecalledtomemyold—timecomrade,CharleyBarbour。Hisstorywassoontold。HewasaSergeantinaWesternVirginiacavalryregiment——theFourth,Ithink。AtthetimeHunterwasmakinghisretreatfromtheValleyofVirginia,itwasdecidedtomisleadtheenemybysendingoutacourierwithfalsedispatchestobecaptured。Therewasacallforavolunteerforthisservice。Charleywasthefirsttooffer,withthatspiritofgenerousself—sacrificethatwasoneofhispleasantesttraitswhenaboy。Heknewwhathehadtoexpect。CapturemeantimprisonmentatAndersonville;ourmenhadnowaprettyclearunderstandingofwhatthiswas。Charleytookthedispatchesandrodeintotheenemy'slines。Hewastaken,andthefalseinformationproducedthedesiredeffect。OnhiswaytoAndersonvillehewasstrippedofallhisclothingbuthisshirtandpantaloons,andturnedintotheStockadeinthiscondition。WhenIsawhimhehadbeeninaweekormore。Hetoldhisstoryquietly——almostdiffidently——notseemingawarethathehaddonemorethanhissimpleduty。Ilefthimwiththepromiseandexpectationofreturningthenextday,butwhenIattemptedtofindhimagain,Iwaslostinthemazeoftentsandburrows。Ihadforgottentoaskthenumberofhisdetachment,andafterspendingseveraldaysinhuntingforhim,Iwasforcedtogivethesearchup。Heknewaslittleofmywhereabouts,andthoughwewereallthetimewithinseventeenhundredfeetofeachother,neitherwenorourcommonacquaintancecouldevermanagetomeetagain。ThiswillgivethereaderanideaofthethrongcompressedwithinthenarrowlimitsoftheStockade。AfterleavingAndersonville,however,Imetthismanoncemore,andlearnedfromhimthatCharleyhadsickenedanddiedwithinamonthafterhisentrancetoprison。
　　Soendedhisday—dreamofacareerinthebusyworld。
　　CHAPTERLVIII。
　　WELEAVESAVANNAH——MOREHOPESOFEXCHANGE——SCENESATDEPARTURE——
　　"FLANKERS"——ONTHEBACKTRACKTOWARDANDERSONVILLE——ALARMTHEREAT——
　　ATTHEPARTINGOFTWOWAYS——WEFINALLYBRINGUPATCAMPLAWTON。
　　Ontheeveningofthe11thofOctobertherecameanorderforonethousandprisonerstofallinandmarchout,fortransfertosomeotherpoint。
　　Ofcourse,AndrewsandI"flanked"intothiscrowd。Thatwasourusualwayofdoing。Holdingthatthechanceswerestronglyinfavorofeverymovementofprisonersbeingtoourlines,weneverfailedtobenumberedinthefirstsquadofprisonersthatweresentout。Theseductivemirageof"exchange"wasalwaysluringuson。Itmustcomesometime,certainly,anditwouldbemostlikelytocometothosewhoweremostearnestlysearchingforit。Atallevents,weshouldleavenomeansuntriedtoavailourselvesofwhateverseemingchancestheremightbe。
　　Therecouldbenoothermotiveforthismove,weargued,thanexchange。
　　TheConfederacywasnotlikelytobeatthetroubleandexpenseofhaulingusaboutthecountrywithoutsomegoodreason——somethingbetterthanawishtomakeusacquaintedwithSouthernsceneryandtopography。
　　ItwouldhardlytakeusawayfromSavannahsosoonafterbringingusthereforanyotherpurposethandeliverytoourpeople。
　　TheRebelsencouragedthisbeliefwithdirectassertionsofitstruth。
　　TheyframedaplausiblelieabouttherehavingarisensomedifficultyconcerningtheadmissionofourvesselspasttheharbordefensesofSavannah,whichmadeitnecessarytotakeuselsewhere——probablytoCharleston——fordeliverytoourmen。
　　Wishesarealwaysthemostpowerfulalliesofbelief。Thereislittledifficultyinconvincingamanofthatofwhichhewantstobeconvinced。
　　WeforgotthelietolduswhenweweretakenfromAndersonville,andbelievedtheonewhichwastoldusnow。
　　AndrewsandIhastilysnatchedourworldlypossessions——ourovercoat,blanket,can,spoon,chessboardandmen,yelledtosomeofourneighborsthattheycouldhaveourhithertomuch—treasuredhouse,andrunningdowntothegate,forcedourselveswelluptothefrontofthecrowdthatwasbeingassembledtogoout。
　　Theusualscenesaccompanyingthedepartureoffirstsquadswerebeingactedtumultuously。Everyoneinthecampwantedtobeoneofthesupposed—to—be—favoredfew,andifnotselectedatfirst,triedto"flankin"——thatis,slipintotheplaceofsomeoneelsewhohadhadbetterluck。Thisonenaturallyresisteddisplacement,'vietarmis,'andthefightswouldbecomesogeneralastocausearesemblancetothefamedFairofDonnybrook。Thecrywouldgoup:
　　"Lookoutforflankers！"
　　Thelinesoftheselectedwoulddressupcompactly,andoutsiderstryingtoforcethemselvesinwouldgetmercilesslypounded。
　　Wefinallygotoutofthepen,andintothecars,whichsoonrolledawaytothewestward。Wewerepackedintoodenselytobeabletoliedown。
　　Wecouldhardlysitdown。AndrewsandItookupourpositioninonecorner,piledourlittletreasuresunderus,andtryingtoleanagainsteachotherinsuchawayastoaffordmutualsupportandrest,dozedfitfullythroughalong,wearynight。
　　Whenmorningcamewefoundourselvesrunningnorthwestthroughapoor,pine—barrencountrythatstronglyresembledthatwehadtraversedincomingtoSavannah。Themorewelookedatitthemorefamiliaritbecame,andsoontherewasnodoubtweweregoingbacktoAndersonville。
　　BynoonwehadreachedMillen——eightymilesfromSavannah,andfifty—
　　threefromAugusta。ItwasthejunctionoftheroadleadingtoMaconandthatrunningtoAugusta。Wehaltedalittlewhileatthe"Y,"andtoustheminuteswerefullofanxiety。IfweturnedofftotheleftweweregoingbacktoAndersonville。IfwetooktherighthandroadwewereonthewaytoCharlestonorRichmond,withthechancesinfavorofexchange。
　　Atlengthwestarted,and,toourjoy,ourenginetooktherighthandtrack。Westoppedagain,afterarunoffivemiles,inthemidstofoneoftheopen,scatteringforestsoflongleavedpinethatIhavebeforedescribed。Wewereorderedoutofthecars,andmarchingafewrods,cameinsightofanotherofthosehatefulStockades,whichseemedtobeasnaturalproductsoftheSterilesandofthatdrearylandasitsdesolatewoodsanditsbreedofboymurderersandgray—headedassassins。
　　Againourheartssank,anddeathseemedmorewelcomethanincarcerationinthosegloomywoodenwalls。WemarcheddespondentlyuptothegatesofthePrison,andhaltedwhileapartyofRebelclerksmadealistofournames,rank,companies,andregiments。AstheywereRebelsitwasslowwork。Readingandwritingnevercamebynature,asDogberrywouldsay,toanymanfightingforSecession。Asarule,hetooktothemasreluctantlyasif,hethoughtthemcunninginventionsoftheNorthernAbolitionisttoperplexanddemoralizehim。Whatahalf—dozenboystakenoutofourownrankswouldhavedonewitheaseinanhourorso,theseRebelsworriedoveralloftheafternoon,andthentheirregisterofuswassoimperfect,badlywrittenandmisspelled,thattheYankeeclerksafterwardsdetailedforthepurpose,nevercouldsucceedinreducingittointelligibility。
　　WelearnedthattheplaceatwhichwehadarrivedwasCampLawton,butwealmostalwaysspokeofitas"Millen,"thesameasCampSumterisuniversallyknownasAndersonville。
　　ShortlyafterdarkwewereturnedinsidetheStockade。Beingthefirstthathadentered,therewasquiteaquantityofwood——theoffalfromthetimberusedinconstructingtheStockade——lyingontheground。Thenightwaschillyonewesoonhadanumberoffiresblazing。Greenpitchpine,whenburned,givesoffapeculiar,pungentodor,whichisneverforgottenbyonewhohasoncesmelledit。IfirstbecameacquaintedwithitonenteringAndersonville,andtothisdayitisthemostpowerfulremembranceIcanhaveoftheopeningofthatdreadfulIliadofwoes。
　　OnmyjourneytoWashingtonoflateyearsthelocomotivesareinvariablyfedwithpitchpineasweneartheCapital,andasthewell—rememberedsmellreachesme,Igrowsickatheartwiththefloodofsaddeningrecollectionsindissolublyassociatedwithit。
　　Asourfiresblazeduptheclinging,penetratingfumesdiffusedthemselveseverywhere。ThenightwasascoolastheonewhenwearrivedatAndersonville,theearth,meagerlysoddedwithsparse,hard,wirygrass,wasthesame;thesamepineybreezesblewinfromthesurroundingtrees,thesamedismalowlshootedatus;thesamemournfulwhip—poor—
　　willlamented,Godknowswhat,inthegatheringtwilight。WhatwebothfeltinthegloomyrecessesofdowncastheartsAndrewsexpressedasheturnedtomewith:
　　"MyGod,Mc,thislookslikeAndersonvillealloveragain。"
　　Acupfulofcornmealwasissuedtoeachofus。Ihuntedupsomewater。
　　Andrewsmadeastiffdough,andspreaditabouthalfaninchthickonthebackofourchessboard。Heproppedthisupbeforethefire,andwhenthesurfacewasneatlybrownedover,slippeditofftheboardandturneditovertobrowntheothersidesimilarly。Thisdone,wedivideditcarefullybetweenus,swalloweditinsilence,spreadouroldovercoatontheground,tuckedchess—board,can,andspoonunderfarenoughtobeoutofthereachofthieves,adjustedthethinblanketsoastogetthemostpossiblewarmthoutofit,crawledinclosetogether,andwenttosleep。
　　This,thankHeaven,wecoulddo;wecouldstillsleep,andNaturehadsomeopportunitytorepairthewasteoftheday。Weslept,andforgotwherewewere。
　　CHAPTERLIX。
　　OURNEWQUARTERSATCAMPLAWTON——BUILDINGAHUT——ANEXCEPTIONAL
　　COMMANDANT——HEISaGOODMAN,BUTWILLTAKEBRIBES——RATIONS。
　　Inthemorningwetookasurveyofournewquarters,andfoundthatwewereinaStockaderesemblingverymuchinconstructionanddimensionsthatatAndersonville。Theprincipaldifferencewasthattheuprightlogswereintheirroughstate,whereastheywerehewedatAndersonville,andthebrookrunningthroughthecampwasnotborderedbyaswamp,buthadclean,firmbanks。
　　Ournextmovewastomakethebestofthesituation。Weweredividedintohundreds,eachcommandedbyaSergeant。Tenhundredsconstitutedadivision,theheadofwhichwasalsoaSergeant。IwaselectedbymycomradestotheSergeantcyoftheSecondHundredoftheFirstDivision。
　　Assoonaswewereassignedtoourground,webeganconstructingshelter。
　　Forthefirstandonlytimeinmyprisonexperience,wefoundafullsupplyofmaterialforthispurpose,andtheusewemadeofitshowedhowinfinitelybetterwewouldhavefaredifineachprisontheRebelshaddoneevensoslightathingastobringinafewlogsfromthesurroundingwoodsanddistributethemtous。AhundredorsoofthesewouldprobablyhavesavedthousandsoflivesatAndersonvilleandFlorence。
　　Alargetreelayonthegroundassignedtoourhundred。AndrewsandI
　　tookpossessionofonesideofthetenfeetnearestthebutt。Otherboysoccupiedtherestinasimilarmanner。Oneofourboyshadsucceededinsmugglinganaxinwithhim,andwekeptitinconstantusedayandnight,eachgroupborrowingitforanhourorsoatatime。Itwasasdullasahoe,andwewereveryweak,sothatitwasslowwork"niggeringoff"——（astheboystermedit）acutofthelog。Itseemedasifbeaverscouldhavegnaweditoffeasierandmorequickly。Weonlycutaninchorsoatatime,andthenpassedtheaxtothenextusers。Makinglittlewedgeswithadullknife,wedrovethemintothelogwithclubs,andsplitofflong,thinstrips,liketheweatherboardsofahouse,andbythetimewehadsplitoffourshareoftheloginthisslowandlaboriousway,wehadafinelotofthesestrips。Wewereluckyenoughtofindfourforkedsticks,ofwhichwemadethecornersofourdwelling,androofeditcarefullywithourstrips,heldinplacebysodstornupfromtheedgeofthecreekbank。Thesidesandendswereenclosed;wegatheredenoughpinetopstocoverthegroundtoadepthofseveralinches;webankeduptheoutside,andditchedaroundit,andthenhadthemostcomfortableabodewehadduringourprisoncareer。Itwastrulyahousebuildedwithourownhands,forwehadnotoolswhateversavetheoccasionaluseoftheaforementioneddullaxeandequallydullknife。
　　Therudelittlehutrepresentedasmuchactualhard,manuallaboraswouldberequiredtobuildacomfortablelittlecottageintheNorth,butwegladlyperformedit,aswewouldhavedoneanyotherworktobetterourcondition。
　　Forawhilewoodwasquiteplentiful,andwehadtheluxurydailyofwarmfires,whichtheincreasingcoolnessoftheweathermadeimportantaccessoriestoourcomfort。
　　Otherprisonerskeptcomingin。ThoseweleftbehindatSavannahfollowedus,andtheprisontherewasbrokenup。Quiteanumberalsocameinfrom——Andersonville,sothatinalittlewhilewehadbetweensixandseventhousandintheStockade。Thelastcomersfoundallthematerialfortentsandallthefuelusedup,andconsequentlydidnotfaresowellastheearlierarrivals。
　　Thecommandantoftheprison——oneCaptainBowes——wasthebestofhisclassitwasmyfortunetomeet。ComparedwiththesenselessbrutalityofWirz,therecklessdeviltryofDavis,orthestupidmalignanceofBarrett,atFlorence,hisadministrationwasmildnessandwisdomitself。
　　Heenforceddisciplinebetterthananyofthosenamed,buthaswhattheyalllacked——executiveability——andhesecuredresultsthattheycouldnotpossiblyattain,andwithoutanything,likethefrictionthatattendedtheirefforts。Idonotrememberthatanyonewasshotduringoursixweeks'stayatMillen——acircumstancesimplyremarkable,sinceIdonotrecallasingleweekpassedanywhereelsewithoutatleastonemurderbytheguards。
　　Oneinstancewillillustratethedifferenceofhisadministrationfromthatofotherprisoncommandants。Hecameuponthegroundsofourdivisiononemorning,accompaniedbyapleasant—faced,intelligent—
　　appearingladofaboutfifteenorsixteen。Hesaidtous:
　　"Gentlemen:（Theonlyinstanceduringourimprisonmentwhenwereceivedsopoliteadesignation。）Thisismyson,whowillhereaftercallyourroll。Hewilltreatyouasgentlemen,andIknowyouwilldothesametohim。"
　　Thisunderstandingwasobservedtotheletteronbothsides。YoungBowesinvariablyspokecivillytous,andweobeyedhisorderswithapromptcheerfulnessthatlefthimnothingtocomplainof。
　　TheonlychargeIhavetomakeagainstBowesismademoreindetailinanotherchapter,andthatis,thathetookmoneyfromwellprisonersforgivingthemthefirstchancetogothroughontheSickExchange。
　　HowculpablethiswasImustleaveeachreadertodecideforhimself。
　　Ithoughtitverywrongatthetime,butpossiblymyviewsmighthavebeencoloredhighlybymynothavinganymoneywherewithtoprocuremyowninclusioninthehappylotoftheexchanged。
　　OfonethingIamcertain:thathisacceptanceofmoneytobiashisofficialactionwasnotsingularonhispart。Iamconvincedthateverycommandantwehadoverus——exceptWirz——washabituallyinthereceiptofbribesfromprisoners。IneverheardthatanyonesucceededinbribingWirz,andthisisthesolegoodthingIcansayofthatfellow。Againstthisitmaybesaid,however,thatheplunderedtheboyssoeffectuallyonenteringtheprisonastoleavethemlittleofthewherewithaltobribeanybody。
　　Daviswasprobablythemostunscrupulousbribe—takerofthelot。
　　Heactuallyreceivedmoneyforpermittingprisonerstoescapetoourlines,andgotdowntoaslowafigureasonehundreddollarsforthissortofservice。Ineverheardthatanyoftheothercommandantswentthisfar。
　　TherationsissuedtousweresomewhatbetterthanthoseofAndersonville,asthemealwasfinerandbetter,thoughitwasabsurdedlyinsufficientinquantity,andwereceivednosalt。Onseveraloccasionsfreshbeefwasdealtouttous,andeachtimetheexcitementcreatedamongthosewhohadnottastedfreshmeatforweeksandmonthswaswonderful。Onthefirstoccasionthemeatwassimplytheheadsofthecattlekilledfortheuseoftheguards。Severalwagonloadsofthesewerebroughtinanddistributed。Webrokethemupsothateverymangotapieceofthebone,whichwasboiledandreboiled,aslongasasinglebubbleofgreasewouldrisetothesurfaceofthewater;everyvestigeofmeatwasgnawedandscrapedfromthesurfaceandthenthebonewascharreduntilitcrumbled,whenitwaseaten。Noonewhohasnotexperienceditcanimaginetheinordinatehungerforanimalfoodofthosewhohadeatenlittleelsethancornbreadforsolong。Ourexhaustedbodieswereperishingforlackofpropersustenance。Natureindicatedfreshbeefasthebestmediumtorepairthegreatdamagealreadydone,andourlongingforitbecamebeyonddescription。
　　CHAPTERLX
　　THERAIDERSREAPPEARONTHESCENE——THEATTEMPTTOASSASSINATETHOSEWHO
　　WERECONCERNEDINTHEEXECUTION——ACOUPLEOFLIVELYFIGHTS,INWHICHTHE
　　RAIDERSAREDEFEATED——HOLDINGANELECTION。
　　Ouroldantagonists——theRaiders——werepresentinstrongforceinMillen。
　　Likeourselves,theyhadimaginedthedeparturefromAndersonvillewasforexchange,andtheirrelationstotheRebelsweresuchthattheywereallgivenachancetogowiththefirstsquads。AnumberhadbeenallowedtogowiththesailorsontheSpecialNavalExchangefromSavannah,intheplaceofsailorsandmarineswhohaddied。OnthewaytoCharlestonafighthadtakenplacebetweenthemandtherealsailors,duringwhichoneoftheirnumber——acurly—headedIrishmannamedDailey,whowasinsuchhighfavorwiththeRebelsthathewasgiventheplaceofdrivingtherationwagonthatcameintheNorthSideatAndersonville——
　　waskilled,andthrownunderthewheelsofthemovingtrain,whichpassedoverhim。
　　AfterthingsbegantosettleintoshapeatMillen,theyseemedtobelievethattheywereinsuchascendancyastonumbersandorganizationthattheycouldputintoexecutiontheirschemesofvengeanceagainstthoseofuswhohadbeenactiveparticipantsintheexecutionoftheirconfederatesatAndersonville。
　　AftersomelittlepreliminariestheysettleduponCorporal"Wat"Payne,ofmycompany,astheirfirstvictim。ThereaderwillrememberPayneasoneofthetwoCorporalswhopulledthetriggertothescaffoldatthetimeoftheexecution。
　　Paynewasaverygoodmanphysically,andwasyetinfaircondition。
　　TheRaiderscameuponedaywiththeirbestman——PeteDonnelly——andprovokedafight,intending,inthecourseofit,tokillPayne。We,whoknewPayee,feltreasonablyconfidentofhisabilitytohandleevensoredoubtableapugilistasDonnelly,andwegatheredtogetheralittlesquadofourfriendstoseefairplay。
　　Thefightbeganaftertheusualamountofbadtalkonbothsides,andwewerepleasedtoseeourmanslowlygetthebetteroftheNewYorkplug—
　　ugly。Afterseveralsharproundstheyclosed,andstillPaynewasahead,butinanevilmomenthespiedapineknotathisfeet,whichhethoughthecouldreach,andendthefightbycrackingDonnelly'sheadwithit。
　　Donnellytookinstantadvantageofthemovementtogetit,threwPayneheavily,andfelluponhim。Hiscrowdrushedintofinishourmanbyclubbinghimoverthehead。Wesailedintopreventthis,andafterarattlingexchangeofblowsallaround,succeededingettingPayneaway。
　　Theissueofthefightseemedratheragainstus,however,andtheRaidersweremuchemboldened。Paynekeptclosetohiscrowdafterthat,andaswehadshownsuchanentirewillingnesstostandbyhim,theRaiders——
　　withtheiraccustomedprudencewhenrealfightingwasinvolved——didnotattempttomolesthimfarther,thoughtheytalkedverysavagely。
　　AfewdaysafterthisSergeantGoodyandCorporalNedCarrigan,bothofourbattalion,camein。ImustaskthereadertoagainrecallthefactthatSergeantGoodywasoneofthesixhangmenwhoputthemeal—sacksovertheheads,andtheropesaroundthenecksofthecondemned。