The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-04-13

In or near my Quartcrs anu ~
bushels Of corn, stacks OF bacon, anu lasn,
ings OF tobacco. had only 10 Forward
that mule thirty miles north OF US, ana
there was abundance In the future, Ior
no Confederate commissary ever gave
us a thought. l tied Cyrus by inc arms
and legs to the beam OF an ola couon-
press, and said: al have surrounded lhis
place. MY men are as thick around as
bees. II you open your NOUN Deiore
nightfall, you are goner. iou ornt
bad boy, and keep on being good" linen
| unhitched that mule, and went OF Win
him, and rode far into the night. lie was
An able mule, not bit contrary, and con-
sented 10 be led like lamb. He even
showed speed, keeping wed up with 10.
| could not take him to our hummock,
but at midnight tied him securely to
blazed tree, as well known to us in the
swamp rs st. Michaeps church.
An hour or two afterward was on the
hummock. My adventures were soon told.
had mule. The use OF that lovely mule
/ explained. At once G. r., a man from
Aiken, was ordered by me TO take his horse,
90 to the mule, carry it to -, who would
advance corn and meat for us, and the man
was 10 find team and land our stores for
us. We could hold out forty-eight hours
more. He was TO be sure TO bring tobacco,
some pipes, and book or two, and, above
all, some quinine. i described exactly the
place where that mule was tied-the tree
with the three blazes. The mule had his
tail fastened to his side, so that he would
not bray, and had hair rope hitched above
him 30 that he could not gnaw himself
loose.
| was soon sound asleep. Early next
dav | was awakened, and my Aiken scout
stood before me looking most uncom-
iortably.
"No mule, SIR"
GLOW no muleY"
"And my horse Is gone"
GLOW the deuce!"
"Seed the mule, Cap"
"You have not allowed your own horse
to be captured?"
"Couldn't help it, sir" And my man
looked sheepish and his mates mad enough
TO shoot him.
..Found the mule-such beauty, Cap
tain-all right enough, and was making for
the Gut, when came across an old woman
and niger boy. They were strangers, so
they SAID, that the Yanks had driven from
their homes. Old woman had the shakes.
and said she wanted to lie down and die
right there. Niger seemed TO be half
witted. Hadn't just a morsel Of bread
to give 'em9 Where they went. they
didn't care. Her old man had been killed
at MurfreesborO', and she had some OF her
kin somewheres in Carliney. and she had
wandered and wandered. had unhitched
the mule, and the boy wanted to lead it.
offered to show them the way, though it
was q little bit out OF my road, TO where
some niggers was camping, and they said,
Eyes, anywhere Presently the old wo-
man, she says: 'YOu must have had a
mother yourself, young man. | have had
six sons-all OF them in service-and they
don't know that their poor old nanny
amt hardly got rag on her back nor n
morsel to put in her mouth. Young man,
can't put one foot before me. Efyou would
only give me a lift on that ere horse OF
yourn? amt no rider, and haven't been
on Il horses back ever since | was a gal.
Tme most Altered it'll shake my old bones
to pieces. and might tumble off, She kind
Of worked on my feelings, a-groaning and
accomplishing so, for | always was ten
der-hearted man. So | boosted her up,
sideways fashion, and she must have rid.
me a-holding her up on that horse, most
ten rods, when all of sudden, Skat, Cy-
rus says she-them was her very words
and, Captain, before / knowed it she
had gallopped over me, and was a riding
that horse like circus woman, her skirts
just a-1ying, and that simple-looking mig
ger was on that mule in iiily. and both
a-going like blazes. Before | had picked
myself up they had cleared off. They
knowed the ground"
Next day, it was just by the skin Of DIR
teeth that we vacated that hummock, and
10 never showed a fairer burst Of speed
than in that stampede. So, though did
steal mule, was not permitted to enjoy
him