CorporalCarriganwasthegiganticprizefighter,whowasuniversallyacknowledgedtobethebestmanphysicallyamongthewholethirty—fourthousandinAndersonville。TheRaidersknewthatGoodyhadcomeinbeforeweofhisownbattaliondid。Theyresolvedtokillhimthenandthere,andinbroaddaylight。Hehadsecuredinsomewayasheltertent,andwasinsideofitfixingitup。TheRaidercrowd,headedbyPeteDonnelly,andDickAllen,wentuptohistentandoneofthemcalledtohim:
　　"Sergeant,comeout;Iwanttoseeyou。"
　　Goody,supposingitwasoneofus,camecrawlingoutonhishandsandknees。Ashedidsotheirheavyclubscrasheddownuponhishead。
　　Hewasneitherkillednorstunned,astheyhadreasontoexpect。
　　Hesucceededinrisingtohisfeet,andbreakingthroughthecrowdofassassins。Hedasheddownthesideofthehill,hotlypursuedbythem。
　　ComingtotheCreek,heleapeditinhisexcitement,buthispursuerscouldnot,andwerechecked。Oneofourbattalionboys,whosawandcomprehendedthewholeaffair,ranovertous,shouting:
　　"Turnout！turnout,forGod'ssake！theRaidersarekillingGoody！"
　　WesnatchedupourclubsandstartedaftertheRaiders,butbeforewecouldreachthem,NedCarrigan,whoalsocomprehendedwhatthetroublewas,hadruntothesideofGoody,armedwithaterriblelookingclub。
　　ThesightofNed,andthedemonstrationthathewasthoroughlyaroused,wasenoughfortheRaidercrew,andtheyabandonedthefieldhastily。
　　Wedidnotfeelourselvesstrongenoughtofollowthemontotheirowndunghill,andtryconclusionswiththem,butwedeterminedtoreportthemattertotheRebelCommandant,fromwhomwehadreasontobelievewecouldexpectassistance。Wewereright。Hesentinasquadofguards,arrestedDickAllen,PeteDonnelly,andseveralotherringleaders,tookthemoutandputtheminthestocksinsuchamannerthattheywerecompelledtolieupontheirstomachs。Ashallowtinvesselcontainingwaterwasplacedundertheirfacestofurnishthemdrink。
　　Theystaidthereadayandnight,andwhenreleased,joinedtheRebelArmy,enteringtheartillerycompanythatmannedthegunsinthefortcoveringtheprison。Iusedtoimaginewithwhatzealtheywouldsendusover;aroundofshellorgrapeiftheycouldgetanythinglikeanexcuse。
　　Thisgaveusgoodriddance——ofourdangerousenemies,andwehadlittlefurthertroublewithanyofthem。
　　Thedepressioninthetemperaturemademeverysensibleofthedeficienciesinmywardrobe。Unshodfeet,ashirtlikeafishingnet,andpantaloonsaswellventilatedasapalingfencemightdoverywellforthebroilingsunatAndersonvilleandSavannah,butnow,withthethermometernightlydippingalittlenearerthefrostline,itbecameunpleasantlyevidentthatasgarmentstheirofficewaspurelyperfunctory;onemightsayornamentalsimply,ifhewantedtobeverysarcastic。Theywerewornsolelytoaffordconvenientquartersformultitudesoflice,andindeferencetotheprejudicewhichhasexistedsincetheFallofManagainstourminglingwithourfellowcreaturesintheattireprovidedusbyNature。HadIreadDarwinthenIshouldhaveexpectedthatmylongexposuretotheweatherwouldstartafinesuitoffur,intheeffortofNaturetoadapt,metomy,environment。ButnomoreindicationsofthisappearedthanifIhadbeenahairlessdogofMexico,suddenlytransplantedtomorenorthernlatitudes。Providencedidnotseemtobeinthetempering—the—wind—to—the—shorn—lambbusiness,asfarasIwasconcerned。Istillretainedanalmostunconquerableprejudiceagainststrippingthedeadtosecureclothes,andsounlessexchangeordeathcamespeedily,Iwasinabadfix。
　　Onemorningaboutdaybreak,Andrews,whohadstartedtogotoanotherpartofthecamp,cameslippingbackinastateofgleefulexcitement。
　　AtfirstIthoughtheeitherhadfoundatunnelorhadheardsomegoodnewsaboutexchange。Itwasneither。Heopenedhisjacketandhandedmeaninfantryman'sblouse,whichhehadfoundinthemainstreet,whereithaddroppedoutofsomefellow'sbundle。Wedidnotmakeanyextraexertiontofindtheowner。Andrewswasinsoreneedofclotheshimself,butmynecessitiesweresomuchgreaterthatthegenerousfellowthoughtofmywantsfirst。WeexaminedthegarmentwithasmuchinterestaseverabellebestowedonanewdressfromWorth's。Itwasinfairpreservation,buttheownerhadcutthebuttonsofftotradetotheguard,doubtlessforafewsticksofwood,oraspoonfulofsalt。
　　Wesuppliedtheplaceofthesewithlittlewoodenpins,andIdonnedthegarmentasashirtandcoatandvest,too,forthatmatter。ThebestsuitIeverputonnevergavemeahundredthpartthesatisfactionthatthisdid。Shortlyafter,Imanagedtosubduemyaversionsofarastotakeagoodshoewhichaone—leggeddeadmanhadnofartherusefor,andalittlelateracomradegavemefortheotherfootabootbottomfromwhichhehadcutthetoptomakeabucket。
　　ThedayofthePresidentialelectionof1864approached。TheRebelswerenaturallyverymuchinterestedintheresult,astheybelievedthattheelectionofMcClellanmeantcompromiseandcessationofhostilities,whilethere—electionofLincolnmeantprosecutionoftheWartothebitterend。ThetoadyingRaiders,whowereperpetuallyhangingaroundthegatetogetachancetoinsinuatethemselvesintothefavoroftheRebelofficers,persuadedthemthatwewereallsobitterlyhostiletoourGovernmentfornotexchangingusthatifwewereallowedtovotewewouldcastanoverwhelmingmajorityinfavorofMcClellan。
　　TheRebelsthoughtthatthismightperhapsbeusedtoadvantageaspoliticalcapitalfortheirfriendsintheNorth。Theygaveordersthatwemight,ifwechose,holdanelectiononthesamedayofthePresidentialelection。Theysentinsomeballotboxes,andweelectedJudgesoftheElection。
　　AboutnoonofthatdayCaptainBowes,andacrowdoftightbooted,broad—
　　hattedRebelofficers,struttedinwiththepeculiar"Ef—yer—don't—
　　b'lieve——I'm—a—butcher—jest—smell—o'—mebutes"swaggercharacteristicoftheclass。TheyhadcomeintoseeusallvotingforMcClellan。
　　Instead,theyfoundthepollssurroundedwithticketpedlersshouting:
　　"Walkrightupherenow,andgetyourUnconditional—Union—Abraham—Lincoln—tickets！"
　　"Here'syourstraight—hairedprosecution—of—the—warticket。"
　　"VotetheLincolnticket;votetowhiptheRebels,andmakepeacewiththemwhenthey'velaiddowntheirarms。"
　　"Don'tvoteaMcClellanticketandgratifyRebels,everywhere,"etc。
　　TheRebelofficersdidnotfindthescenewhattheirfancypaintedit,andturningaroundtheystruttedout。
　　WhenthevotescametobecountedouttherewereoverseventhousandforLincoln,andnothalfthatmanyhundredforMcClellan。ThelattergotveryfewvotesoutsidetheRaidercrowd。ThesamedayasimilarelectionwasheldinFlorence,withlikeresult。OfcoursethisdidnotindicatethattherewasanysuchapreponderanceofRepublicansamongus。
　　ItmeantsimplythattheDemocraticboys,littleastheymighthavelikedLincoln,wouldhavevotedforhimahundredtimesratherthandoanythingtopleasetheRebels。
　　IneverheardthattheRebelssenttheresultNorth。
　　CHAPTERLXI
　　THEREBELSFORMALLYPROPOSETOUSTODESERTTOTHEM——CONTUMELIOUS
　　TREATMENTOFTHEPROPOSITION——THEIRRAGE——ANEXCITINGTIME——ANOUTBREAK
　　THREATENED——DIFFICULTIESATTENDINGDESERTIONTOTHEREBELS。
　　OnedayinNovember,somelittletimeaftertheoccurrencesnarratedinthelastchapter,orderscameintomakeoutrollsofallthosewhowerebornoutsideoftheUnitedStates,andwhosetermsofservicehadexpired。
　　Weheldalittlecouncilamongourselvesastothemeaningofthis,andconcludedthatsomepartialexchangehadbeenagreedon,andtheRebelsweregoingtosendbacktheclassofboyswhomtheythoughtwouldbeofleastvaluetotheGovernment。Actingonthisconclusionthegreatmajorityofusenrolledourselvesasforeigners,andashavingservedoutourterms。Imadeouttherollofmyhundred,andmanagedtogiveeverymanaforeignnativity。ThosewhosenameswouldbearitwereassignedtoEngland,Ireland,ScotlandFranceandGermany,andthebalanceweredistributedthroughCanadaandtheWestIndies。Afterfinishingtherollandsendingitout,IdidnotwonderthattheRebelsbelievedthebattlesfortheUnionwerefoughtbyforeignmercenaries。Theotherrollsweremadeoutinthesameway,andIdonotsupposethattheyshowedfivehundrednativeAmericansintheStockade。
　　Thenextdayaftersendingouttherolls,therecameanorderthatallthosewhosenamesappearedthereonshouldfallin。Wedidso,promptly,andasnearlyeverymanincampwasincluded,wefellinasforotherpurposes,byhundredsandthousands。Wewerethenmarchedoutside,andmassedaroundastumponwhichstoodaRebelofficer,evidentlywaitingtomakeusaspeech。Weawaitedhisremarkswiththegreatestimpatience,butHedidnotbeginuntilthelastdivisionhadmarchedoutandcametoaparaderestclosetothestump。
　　Itwasthesameoldstory:
　　"Prisoners,youcannolongerhaveanydoubtthatyourGovernmenthascruellyabandonedyou;itmakesnoeffortstoreleaseyou,andrefusesallouroffersofexchange。Weareanxioustogetourmenback,andhavemadeeveryefforttodoso,butitrefusestomeetusonanyreasonablegrounds。YourSecretaryofWarhassaidthattheGovernmentcangetalongverywellwithoutyou,andGeneralHalleckhassaidthatyouwerenothingbutasetofblackberrypickersandcoffeeboilersanyhow。
　　"You'vealreadyenduredmuchmorethanitcouldexpectofyou;youserveditfaithfullyduringthetermyouenlistedfor,andnow,whenitisthroughwithyou,itthrowsyouasidetostarveanddie。YoualsocanhavenodoubtthattheSouthernConfederacyiscertaintosucceedinsecuringitsindependence。Itwilldothisinafewmonths。Itnowoffersyouanopportunitytojoinitsservice,andifyouserveitfaithfullytotheend,youwillreceivethesamerewardsastherestofitssoldiers。Youwillbetakenoutofhere,bewellclothedandfed,givenagoodbounty,and,attheconclusionoftheWarreceivealandwarrantforanicefarm。Ifyou"——
　　Butwehadheardenough。TheSergeantofourdivision——amanwithastentorianvoicesprangoutandshouted:
　　"Attention,firstDivision！"
　　WeSergeantsofhundredsrepeatedthecommanddowntheline。Shoutedhe:
　　"FirstDivision,about——"
　　Saidwe:
　　"FirstHundred,about——"
　　"SecondHundred,about——"
　　"ThirdHundred,about——"
　　"FourthHundred,about——"etc。,etc。
　　Saidhe:——
　　"FACE！！"
　　TenSergeantsrepeated"Face！"oneaftertheother,andeachmaninthehundredsturnedonhisheel。Thenourleadercommanded——
　　"FirstDivision,forward！MARCH！"andwestrodebackintotheStockade,followedimmediatelybyalltheotherdivisions,leavingtheoratorstillstandingonthestump。
　　TheRebelswerefuriousatthiscurtwayofreplying。Wehadscarcelyreachedourquarterswhentheycameinwithseveralcompanies,withloadedgunsandfixedbayonets。Theydroveusoutofourtentsandhuts,intoonecorner,underthepretenseofhuntingaxesandspades,butinrealitytostealourblankets,andwhateverelsetheycouldfindthattheywanted,andtobreakdownandinjureourhuts,manyofwhich,costingusdaysofpatientlabor,theydestroyedinpurewantonness。
　　Wewereburningwiththebitterestindignation。Atall,slendermannamedLloyd,amemberoftheSixty—FirstOhio——arough,uneducatedfellow,butbrimfullofpatriotismandmanlycommonsense,jumpeduponastumpandpouredouthissoulinrudebutfieryeloquence:"Comrades,"
　　hesaid,"donotlettheblowingoftheseRebelwhelpsdiscourageyou;
　　paynoattentiontotheliestheyhavetoldyouto—day;youknowwellthatourGovernmentistoohonorableandjusttodesertanyonewhoservesit;ithasnotdesertedus;theirhell—bornConfederacyisnotgoingtosucceed。ItellyouthatassureasthereisaGodwhoreignsandjudgesinIsrael,beforetheSpringbreezesstirthetopsoftheseblastedoldpinestheirConfederacyandallthelousygraybackswhosupportitwillbesodeepinhellthatnothingbutasearchwarrantfromthethroneofGodAlmightycaneverfinditagain。AndthegloriousoldStarsandStripes——"
　　Herewebegancheeringtremendously。ARebelCaptaincamerunningup,saidtotheguard,whowasleaningonhisgun,gazingcuriouslyatLloyd:
　　"Whatin————areyoustandinggapingtherefor？Whydon'tyoushootthe————————Yankeeson————————————？"andsnatchingthegunawayfromhim,cockedandleveleditatLloyd,buttheboysnearjerkedthespeakerdownfromthestumpandsavedhislife。
　　Webecamefearfully,wroughtup。Someofthemoreexcitableshoutedouttochargeonthelineofguards,snatchtheygunsawayfromthem,andforceourwaythroughthegateTheshoutsweretakenupbyothers,and,asifinobediencetothesuggestion,weinstinctivelyformedinline—of—
　　battlefacingtheguards。Aglancedownthelineshowedmeanarrayofdesperate,tenselydrawnfaces,suchasoneseeswholooksamenwhentheyaresummoningupalltheirresolutionforsomedeedofgreatperil。
　　TheRebelofficershastilyretreatedbehindthelineofguards,whosefacesblanched,buttheyleveledthemusketsandpreparedtoreceiveus。
　　CaptainBowes,whowasoverlookingtheprisonfromanelevationoutside,had,however,divinedthetroubleattheoutset,anwaspreparingtomeetit。Thegunners,whohadshottedthepiecesandtrainedthemuponuswhenwecameouttolistentthespeech,hadagaincovereduswiththem,andwerereadytosweeptheprisonwithgrapeandcanisterattheinstantofcommand。Thelongrollwassummoningtheinfantryregimentsbackintoline,andsomeofthecooler—headedamonguspointedthesefactsoutandsucceededingettingthelinetodissolveagainintogroupsofmuttering,sullen—facedmen。Whenthiswasdone,theguardsmarchedout,byacautiousindirectmaneuver,soasnottoturntheirbackstous。
　　ItwasbelievedthatwehadsomeamonguswhowouldliketoavailthemselvesoftheofferoftheRebels,andthattheywouldtrytoinformtheRebelsoftheirdesiresbygoingtothegateduringthenightandspeakingtotheOfficer—of—the—Guard。Asquadarmedthemselveswithclubsandlaidinwaitforthese。Theysucceededincatchingseveral——
　　snatchingsomeofthenbackevenaftertheyhadtoldtheguardtheirwishesinatones（loudthatallnearcouldheardistinctly。TheOfficer—of—the—Guardrushedintwoorthreetimesinavainattempttosavethewouldbedeserterfromthecruelhandsthatclutchedhimandborehimawaytowherehehadalessoninloyaltyimpresseduponthefleshiestpartofhispersonbyalong,flexiblestripofpinewieldedbyverywillinghands。
　　AfterthiswaskeptupforseveralnightsdifferentideasbeganItoprevail。ItwasfeltthatifamanwantedtojointheRebels,thebestwaywastolethimgoandgetridofhim。HewasofnobenefittotheGovernment,andwouldbeofnonetotheRebels。Afterthisnorestrictionwasputuponanyonewhodesiredtogooutsideandtaketheoath。Butveryfewdidso,however,andthesewerewhollyconfinedtotheRaidercrowd。
　　CHAPTERLXII。
　　SERGEANTLEROYL。KEY——HISADVENTURESSUBSEQUENTTOTHEEXECUTIONS——
　　HEGOESOUTSIDEATANDERSONVILLEONPAROLE——LABORSINTHECOOK—HOUSE——
　　ATTEMPTSTOESCAPE——ISRECAPTUREDANDTAKENTOMACON——ESCAPESFROMTHERE,BUTISCOMPELLEDTORETURN——ISFINALLYEXCHANGEDATSAVANNAH。
　　LeroyL。Key,theheroicSergeantofCompanyM,SixteenthIllinoisCavalry,whoorganizedandledtheRegulatorsatAndersonvilleintheirsuccessfulconflictwithanddefeatoftheRaiders,andwhopresidedattheexecutionofthesixcondemnedmenonthe11thofJuly,furnishes,attherequestoftheauthor,thefollowingstoryofhisprisoncareersubsequenttothatevent:
　　Onthe12thdayofJuly,1864,thedayafterthehangingofthesixRaiders,bytheurgentrequestofmymanyfriends（ofwhomyouwereone）,IsoughtandobtainedfromWirzaparoleformyselfandthesixbravemenwhoassistedasexecutionersofthosedesperados。Itseemedthatyouwereallfearfulthatwemight,afterwhathadbeendone,beassassinatedifweremainedintheStockade;andthatwemightbeoverpowered,perhaps,bythefriendsoftheRaiderswehadhanged,atatimepossibly,whenyouwouldnotbeonhandtogiveusassistance,andthusloseourlivesforrenderingthehelpwedidingettingridoftheworstpestilencewehadtocontendwith。
　　OnobtainingmyparoleIwasverycarefultohaveitsoarrangedandmutuallyunderstood,betweenWirzandmyself,thatatanytimethatmysquad（meaningthesurvivorsofmycomrades,withwhomIwasoriginallycaptured）wassentawayfromAndersonville,eithertobeexchangedortogotoanotherprison,thatIshouldbeallowedtogowiththem。Thiswasagreedto,andsowritteninmyparolewhichIcarrieduntilitabsolutelyworeout。Itookapositioninthecook—house,andtheotherboyseitherwenttoworkthere,oratthehospitalorgrave—yardasoccasionrequired。Iworkedhere,anddidthebestIcouldforthemanystarvingwretchesinside,inthewayofpreparingtheirfood,untiltheeighthdayofSeptember,atwhichtime,ifyouremember,quiteatrainloadofmenwereremoved,asmanyofusthought,forthepurposeofexchange;but,asweafterwardsdiscovered,tobetakentoanotherprison。Amongthecrowdsoremovedwasmysquad,or,atleast,aportionofthem,beingmyintimatemess—mateswhileintheStockade。AssoonasIfoundthistobethecaseIwaitedonWirzathisoffice,andaskedpermissiontogowiththem,whichherefused,statingthathewascompelledtohavemenatthecookhousetocookforthoseintheStockadeuntiltheywereallgoneorexchanged。Iremindedhimoftheconditioninmyparole,butthisonlyhadtheeffectofmakinghimmad,andhethreatenedmewiththestocksifIdidnotgobackandresumework。
　　Ithenandtheremadeupmymindtoattemptmyescape,consideringthattheparolehadfirstbeenbrokenbythemanthatgrantedit。
　　Oninquiryaftermyreturntothecook—house,Ifoundfourotherboyswhowerealsoplanninganescape,andwhowereonlytoogladtogetmetojointhemandtakechargeoftheaffair。Ourplanswerewelllaidandwellexecuted,asthesequelwillprove,andinthisparticularmyownexperienceintheendeavortoescapefromAndersonvilleisnotentirelydissimilarfromyours,thoughithaddifferentresults。IverymuchregretthatintheattemptIlostmypenciledmemorandum,inwhichitwasmyhabittochroniclewhatwentonaroundmedaily,andwhereIhadthenamesofmybravecomradeswhomadetheefforttoescapewithme。
　　Unfortunately,Icannotnowrecalltomemorythenameofoneofthemorremembertowhatcommandstheybelonged。
　　Iknewthatourgreatestriskwasrunineludingtheguards,andthatinthemorningweshouldbecompelledtocheattheblood—hounds。Thefirstwemanagedtodoverywell,notwithoutmanyhairbreadthescapes,however;butwedidsucceedingettingthroughbothlinesofguards,andfoundourselvesinthedensestpineforestIeversaw。Wetraveled,asnearlyaswecouldjudge,duenorthallnightuntildaylight。Fromourfatigueandbruises,andthelonghoursthathadelapsedsince8
　　o'clock,thetimeofourstarting,wethoughtwehadcomenotlessthantwelveorfifteenmiles。Imagineoursurpriseandmortification,then,whenwecouldplainlyhearthereveille,andalmosttheSergeant'svoicecallingtheroll,whiletheanswersof"Here！"wereperfectlydistinct。
　　Wecouldnotpossiblyhavebeenmorethanamile,oramile—and—a—halfatthefarthest,fromtheStockade。
　　Ouranxietyandmortificationweredoubledwhenattheusualhour——aswesupposed——weheardthewell—knownandlong—familiarsoundofthehunter'shorn,callinghishoundstotheiraccustomedtaskofmakingthecircuitoftheStockade,forthepurposeofascertainingwhetherornotany？
　　"Yankee"hadhadtheaudacitytoattemptanescape。Thehounds,anticipating,nodoubt,thisusualdailywork,gaveforthgladbarksofjoyatbeingthuscalledforthtoduty。Weheardthemstart,aswasusual,fromabouttherailroaddepot（asweimagined）,butthesoundsgrowingfainterandfaintergaveusalittlehopethatourtrailhadbeenmissed。Onlyashorttime,however,wereweallowedthispleasantreflection,forerelong——itcouldnothavebeenmorethananhour——wecouldplainlyseethattheyweredrawingnearerandnearer。TheyfinallyappearedsoclosethatIadvisedtheboystoclimbatreeorsaplinginordertokeepthedogsfrombitingthem,andtobereadytosurrenderwhenthehunterscameup,hopingthustoexperienceaslittlemiseryaspossible,andnotdreamingbutthatwewerecaught。On,oncamethehounds,nearerandnearerstill,tillweimaginedthatwecouldseetheundergrowthintheforestshakingbycomingincontactwiththeirbodies。
　　Plainerandplainercamethesoundofthehunter'svoiceurgingthemforward。Ourheartswereinourthroats,andintheterribleexcitementwewonderedifitcouldbepossibleforProvidencetosoarrangeitthatthedogswouldpassus。Thislastthought,bysomestrangefancy,hadtakenpossessionofme,andIherefranklyacknowledgethatIbelieveditwouldhappen。WhyIbelievedit,Godonlyknows。Myexcitementwassogreat,indeed,thatIalmostlostsightofourdanger,andfeltlikeshoutingtothedogsmyself,whileIcamenearlosingmyholdonthetreeinwhichIwashidden。BychanceIhappenedtolookaroundatmynearestneighborindistress。HisexpressionwassufficienttoquellanyenthusiasmImighthavehad,andI,too,becamedespondent。Inaveryfewminutesoursuspensewasover。Thedogscamewithinnotlessthanthreehundredyardsofus,andwecouldevenseeoneofthem,GodinHeavencanonlyimaginewhatgreatjoywasthen,broughttoourachinghearts,foralmostinstantlyuponcomingintosight,thehoundsstruckoffonadifferenttrail,andpassedus。Theirvoicesbecamefainterandfainter,untilfinallywecouldhearthemnolonger。Aboutnoon,however,theywerecalledbackandtakentocamp,butuntilthattimenotoneofusleftourpositioninthetrees。
　　Whenweweresatisfiedthatweweresafeforthepresent,wedescendedtothegroundtogetwhatrestwecould,inordertobepreparedforthenight'smarch,havingpreviouslyagreedtotravelatnightandsleepinthedaytime。"OurFather,whoartinHeaven,"etc。,werethefirstwordsthatescapedmylips,andthefirstthoughtsthatcametomymindasIlandedonterrafirma。Neverbefore,orsince,hadIexperiencedsuchaprofoundreverenceforAlmightyGod,forIfirmlybelievethatonlythroughsomemightyinvisiblepowerwereweatthattimedeliveredfromuntoldtortures。Hadwebeenfound,wemighthavebeentornandmutilatedbythedogs,or,takenbacktoAndersonville,havesufferedfordaysorperhapsweeksinthestocksorchaingang,asthehumorofWirzmighthavedictatedatthetime——eitherofwhichwouldhavebeenalmostcertaindeath。
　　ItwasveryfortunateforusthatbeforeourescapefromAndersonvilleweweredetailedatthecook—house,forbythismeanswewereenabledtobringawayenoughfoodtoliveforseveraldayswithoutthenecessityoftheft。Eachoneofushadourhaversacksfullofsuchsmalldelicaciesasitwaspossibleforustogetwhenwestarted,theseconsistingofcornbreadandfatbacon——nothingless,nothingmore。Yetwemanagedtosubsistcomfortablyuntilourfourthdayout,whenwehappenedtocomeuponasweetpotatopatch,thepotatosinwhichhadnotbeendug。Inaveryshortspaceoftimewewereallwellsuppliedwiththisarticle,andlivedonthemrawduringthatdayandthenextnight。
　　Justatevening,ingoingthroughafield,wesuddenlycameacrossthreenegromen,whoatfirstsightofusshowedsignsofrunning,thinking,astheytoldusafterward,thatwewerethe"patrols。"Afterexplainingtothemwhowewereandourcondition,theytookustoaveryquietretreatinthewoods,andtwoofthemwentoff,statingthattheywouldsoonbeback。Inaveryshorttimetheyreturnedladenwithwellcookedprovisions,whichnotonlygaveusagoodsupper,butsuppliedusforthenextdaywithallthatwewanted。Theythenguidedusonourwayforseveralmiles,andleftus,afterhavingrefusedcompensationforwhattheyhaddone。
　　Wecontinuedtotravelinthiswayforninelongwearynights,andonthemorningofthetenthday,asweweregoingintothewoodstohideasusual,alittlebeforedaylight,wecametoasmallpondatwhichtherewasanegroboywateringtwomulesbeforehitchingthemtoacanemill,itthenbeingcanegrindingtimeinGeorgia。Hesawusatthesametimewedidhim,andbeingfrightenedputwhiptotheanimalsandranoff。
　　Wetriedeverywaytostophim,butitwasnouse。Hehadthestartofus。Wewereveryfearfuloftheconsequencesofthismishap,buthadnoremedy,andbeingverytired,coulddonothingelsebutgointothewoods,gotosleepandtrusttoluck。
　　ThenextthingIrememberedwasbeingpunchedintheribsbymycomradenearesttome,andarousedwiththeremark,"Wearegoneup。"Onopeningmyeyes,Isawfourmen,incitizens'dress,eachofwhomhadashotgunreadyforuse。Wewereorderedtogetup。Thefirstquestionaskeduswas:
　　"Whoareyou。"
　　Thiswasspokeninsomildatoneastoleadmetobelievethatwemightpossiblybeinthehandsofgentlemen,ifnotindeedinthoseoffriends。
　　Itwassometimebeforeanyoneanswered。Theboys,bytheirlooksandtheexpressionoftheircountenances,seemedtoappealtomeforareplytogetthemoutoftheirpresentdilemma,ifpossible。BeforeIhadtimetocollectmythoughts,wewerestartledbythesewords,comingfromthesamemanthathadaskedtheoriginalquestion:
　　"Youhadbetternothesitate,forwehaveanideawhoyouare,andshoulditprovethatwearecorrect,itwillbetheworseforyou。"
　　"'Whodoyouthinkweare？'Iinquired。
　　"'Horsethievesandmoss—backs,'wasthereply。
　　Ijumpedattheconclusioninstantlythatinordertosaveourlives,wehadbetteratonceownthetruth。InaveryfewwordsItoldthemwhowewere,wherewewerefrom,howlongwehadbeenontheroad,etc。Atthistheywithdrewashortdistancefromusforconsultation,leavingusforthetimeinterriblesuspenseastowhatourfatemightbe。Soon,however,theyreturnedandinformedusthattheywouldbecompelledtotakeustotheCountyJail,toawaitfurtherordersfromtheMilitaryCommanderoftheDistrict。Whiletheyweretalkingtogether,Itookahastyinventoryofwhatvaluableswehadonhand。Ifoundinthecrowdfoursilverwatches,aboutthreehundreddollarsinConfederatemoney,andpossibly,aboutonehundreddollarsingreenbacks。Beforetheirreturn,ItoldtheboystobesurenottorefuseanyrequestIshouldmake。SaidI:
　　"'Gentlemen,wehaveherefoursilverwatchesandseveralhundreddollarsinConfederatemoneyandgreenbacks,allofwhichwenowofferyou,ifyouwillbutallowustoproceedonourjourney,wetakingourownchancesinthefuture。"
　　Thisproposition,tomygreatsurprise,wasrefused。IthoughtthenthatpossiblyIhadbeenalittleindiscreetinexposingourvaluables,butinthisIwasmistaken,forwehad,indeed,fallenintothehandsofgentlemen,whosezealfortheLostCausewasgreaterthanthatforobtainingworldlywealth,andwhonotonlyrefusedthebribe,buttookustoawell—furnishedandwell—suppliedfarmhousecloseby,gaveusanexcellentbreakfast,allowingustositatthetableinabeautifuldining—room,withaladyatthehead,filledourhaversackswithgood,wholesomefood,andallowedustokeepourproperty,withanadmonitiontobecarefulhowweshoweditagain。WewerethenputintoawagonandtakentoHamilton,asmalltown,thecountyseatofHamiltonCounty,Georgia,andplacedinjail,whereweremainedfortwodaysandnights——
　　fearing,always,thatthejailwouldbeburnedoverourheads,asweheardfrequentthreatsofthatnature,bythemobonthestreets。
　　ButthesamekindProvidencethathadheretoforewatchedoverus,seemednottohavedesertedusinthistrouble。
　　OneofthedayswewereconfinedatthisplacewasSunday,andsomekind—
　　heartedladyorladies（IonlywishIknewtheirnames,aswellasthoseofthegentlemenwhohadusfirstincharge,sothatIcouldchroniclethemwithhonorhere）takingcompassionuponourforlorncondition,sentusasplendiddinneronaverylargechinaplatter。Whetheritwasdoneintentionallyornot,weneverlearned,butitwasafact,however,thattherewasnotaknife,forkorspoonuponthedish,andnotabletosetitupon。Itwasplacedonthefloor,aroundwhichwesoongathered,and,withgratefulhearts,we"gotaway"withitall,inanincrediblyshortspaceoftime,whilemanymenandboyslookedon,enjoyingourludicrousattitudesandmanners。
　　FromhereweweretakentoColumbus,Ga。,andagainplacedinjail,andinthechargeofConfederatesoldiers。Wecouldeasilyseethatweweregraduallygettingintohotwateragain,andthat,eremanydays,wewouldhavetoresumeouroldhabitsinprison。OuronlyhopenowwasthatwewouldnotbereturnedtoAndersonville,knowingwellthatifwegotbackintotheclutchesofWirzourchancesforlifewouldbeslimindeed。