The National tribune., 1886-08-12

two others were as black as the ace of spades.
My color was the effect of my washing in Gin
da's cabin. We laughed long and loud, as we
viewed each other by daylight. / have wished
many time that was artist enough to paint
that scene. for the home friends 10 look upon.
/ tell you it would have been group such as
| is rarely seen. When we reached our division
we were received with shouts OF joy"
Colonel, / am anxious to know what be-
came Of that woman and her grist of corn" said
Capt. Barrows, as he sent a curling wreath OF
tobacco smoke high above his head. "Did she
| get that corn ground?"
ayes, Captain, she got that meal home in
time to make pone for her sick Mistresss
breakfast This close call came for me Just a
| short time before Lincoln issued his famous
! Emancipation Proclamation, and you all remem-
| Der how the army came near being sWamped
| with the negroes pouring in from all parts of
| the slave States, craving the protection of the
Union soldiers, and asking to be sent to some
point North, so that if such thing was TO hap
| pen that the proclamation should have to be
revoked, they would be beyond the fear of be-
| Ing enslaved again. In our division of the
army, then in the Shenandoah Valley, we were
astonished every time the forage wagons came
in. They would be just loaded down with
| women and children, while the men would
walk with huge bundles on their backs One
OF these men came one day, with hat in hand,
and after the usual Sarvant, Massa,' and q low
bow, said / 'speot you don't know me. sir; but
hearn you laugh, an knows you is de Kun
mel what | carries de eatabes an dc water 10 in
de cave when you was tryin' to git back to de
army
"'Thats fact said, giving him a hearty
shake of the hand. and am real glad TO see
| you. And tell me, Hamp', what became of
'Cinda? Did she get home with both of those
sacks OF meal2'
"He laughed q big haw-haw and said, 'Neber
| you be Uneasy, kunnel, bout Nanny 'Cinda !;
she done bin bout right smart chance, and she
amt gwine to get los. One OBJ her boys, Cesar,
was waitin' dar close by TO help her tote dat
Gavin. Dey toted dem sacks cross to de ole mill,
| an dar dey changed EN- for meal, an started
| on lie dOg-trot home. When dey comes near
dem picket sOgers Cesar he done take a big cir
cult 'roun' dem, and Nanny 'Ciuda she done
march right up to dem an tells 'eIn how Simple
Dan done play off on her, an axes 'em if he
comes back dat way to jes' let him pass an not
! torment him any, kase he's so 'feard An on
she trotted wild her sack, an it was mos day
| light when she got home. She had powerful
story to tell de old Mssus on DAN But dat
cornmeal didn't do de young Missus any good
! Dat couldn't mend broken heart. She neber
held up her head arter de young Massa, her
husband, was killed in de fight 1t was only a
few days arter dis dat de ole Massa an Missus
| take her an de ehil'en down to Florida TO see
if dat would help her, an Nanny 'Cinda went
long But dat amt gwine ebber to cure her !;
she'll nebber be any better Nanny 'Cinda
! wont 'sert her. She toted her 'roun' when she
was picaninny, an she will nuss her till she
dies. But arter dat she'll git up an dus' fur de
Norf. Nanny wants her freedom, Massa, de
Tub for 1t comes in jes arter de Tub for de young
| Missus.'
Now, boys" said the Colonel, 81 think I
have told you about my narrow escape as we'll
as L can remember so long time after it hap
pened. l have often thought the rebs would
have stood better chance if the slaves would
! have worked for them as faithfully as they did
for the Union. But it seemed from the very
first day the Union soldiers set foot upon
Southern soil, the slaves were bound together,
I helping band, to protect them. They seemed
to know, from the first hour, that they would be
freed by the war. They were perfect actors never
lacked for tale to suit the OCCASION and were
entirely fearless. If 'Gnda had been detected
plotting me out of danger of the Southern SOL
diers, her life would have paid for but she
| seemed to know that she could accomplish the
act. As for me, man that am, my very heart
died within me that night when we came to
that set OF picketS. / am sure if the moon had
even cast light they would have seen me
shivering with terror. IL seemed to me that
was just going up TO them to give myself up
Thanks to that poor bondage woman for my
being here to-day. | have wished many time
could find her and make her old days COM
Portable for her kind act to me. / never had
the pleasure of looking upon the face of Simple
Dan, the colored gentleman ! personated that
night, but assure you if looked and acted out
his character faithfully, he was a poor, terror
stricken, fool of fellow"