Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-06-07
DELAWARE, OHIO, FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1857.

With a respectful ssiutatlOn l in
quired:
will you tell me the shortest road
to the Potomac ?"
This Southern patriarch looked at me
in surprise. I said again:
The river-the Potomac river
which way is it 2"
Il never heard of it in my life"
How long have you lived here?"
Always; was born here.
And don't know where the Poto-
mac river Is 2
4 never heard ofsuch river"
He was equally ignorant of the eX-
isteuce of Aqua creek, or any of the
streams or places along the river.
Did you know tnat the South bad
seeded" J." I inquired.
well, well I've heard suthing
was going on, but hain't taken much
interest in politics no how since Jack
sons time. 'Spose they are all the
time getting up suthing new"
With a cup Of water from the IN
suspecting jackson Democrat, who
was enjoying Cowper's lodge in the
! wilderness, undistuFbed by the alarms
of war, [ rode away, to try the next turn
in the wheel of fortune. At length a
house was visible IN the distance, and
/ toward 1t I directed my course.
DismouutiEE near it, / hltched my
| horse and commenced observations
| Two negroes only we're IN sight, IN an
! ut-house. I went 10 them with a
/ plausible story, and for ten cents OBJ
| tanned some bread and milk, which
| broke the days fast, with refreshment
| for the nights adventure before me
! Darkness was settling upon the forest,
and, unable to discern the mire and
/ stonesahead, I became entangled among
/ thebranches, and found that l must
| abandon my horse and plunge into the
thicket alone. After wandering about
beWildered for an hour. l unconscious
! ly returned to the very house I had
! left. I decided to risk a rest here till
morning, and working my body feet
/ foremost under a haystack, until com
Dletely hidden, fell into a sound sleep.
Just before the dawn of the next day I
was startled from slumber. and listen
ing, soon learned that rebel cavalry
were in search of me, and had sur
rounded the house. A dozen horse
men could be seen through the lattice
work of hay, moving about in the
/ darkness. From the dwelling they
went to the Out-hOuses, and finally
] CdUIG 40 LllG Ia dySGdChs L pIGDdEGu lUE
| the worst With my head thinly COW
cred I could watch my foes, unseen by
them, while my revolver lay before me.
If discovered 1 resolved to shoot the
successful man and run for dear life
toward the woods. Several times the
cavalry rode around the stack, then
one of the number, dismounting, began
a sword examination of my lodgings
[ could hear the thrust of the blade
into the hay until it grazed my coat,
and [ grasped my six shooter to spring,
but he passed on saying:
He amt in there, boys"
Remountlng, with his comrades, he
rode of.
Watching them till out of sight, I
crept cautiously into the deepening
light, and started for the woods. The
sun rose glOriously over the near hOr-
izon but whether to light me toward
safety or capture was entirely uncer,
tain.
Without breakfast or dinner, I has
tened on, having not even a glimpse of
a human being, and avoiding every in
dication of his habitation. At two
o'clock IN the afternoon, when emeTg-
ing from a clump of bushes, [ came
in full view of a man hauling timber.
l could not retreat, and, changing the
coat hanging on one arm to the other,
put my hand on my pocket, and
stood in thinking posture. I saw that
I had an Irishman to deal with, and
not remarkably bright specimen of
his race.
With the air of one interested. I
asked:
"What is this timber for ?"
Its fur the batthery down here, in
course"
This answer settled the question of
the proximity of the Potomac, and al
so apprised me that Notifications and
plenty of Rebels were not far of. I
walked along a stick of timber, meas
uring it by PAGES, and then said:
Tell these men they are getting
this timber four feet too short, will you?
Yes, sur, l will sur. It's only
haulin, I am, meself."
"Well," [ replied, leaving him, tell
them to cut it four feet longer, will
you Tell them I say So
Il will, SUI"
Into the woods again, and, making
as good time as possible, walked on
two hours longer. Hunger began to
l., gnaw, and cFease that desperation
which disregards the cooler prudence
of full stomach. S-~iklng a small
creek or bayou, runni. into the PO-
tomac, [ resolved to follow it till it
/ decided my fortunes for the night
/ No sign of anything IN reach to ap-
pease hunger appeared, nor of boat
: in which to get across the river. The
/ very first sight of human existence
+ was in a form to excite fear-a white
. tent, snugly pitched on the slOping
I point of q hill, by the water side, and
, surrounded with bushes. l paused to
5 watch for further intimation of what
: was there,
t At length a soldier came up the bank
with fish, and entered the tent. Soon
5 after, with another man, he reappear'
: ed outside, and they sat down, lighted
: their pipes, and chatted, after the fash
y ion of good-natured Dutchmen. The
a imperious demands of hunger urged
e me to join them, and, advancing, I ac
d costed them. 1t turned out that they
V belonged to battery on the hill above
:; and had moved to the bank to catci
1 fish for the officers. | told them
/ lived up the creek, and had come doWI
+ to see how things we're getting on
d then inquired:
E Have you got anything to eat il
e the tentY'
we got not much here to eat"
l. Boys, I am very hungry. I hahn
had anything to eat since l came fror
W home, and I'll pay you for something
I we'll, dat ish tifferent matter. I
At you pays, dat ish tifFerent matter"
d Can tyou cook some fish ?"
"Oh, ersh, I spose we get you som
fish"
70 In few minutes they set before m
a supper simply of fish, cooked in thei
d primitive style, and yet no luxury wa
to ever so grateful to the taste. After
1 was finished, asked for a pipe, an
X began to puff away, entirely at home
he but all the while revolving in my min
he the chances and expedients for a fin,
le, parting with my Dutch friends. f
~ nalIy, my eye fell upon a small bo,
us lying in the bushes below and tn
gn conviction followed the discovery, tn,
In In it was my only hope of crossing tt