Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-04-22

thought, a friendly log, on which we
might sit down and rest and were ap-
preaching it when it started for the
water with a noise and splashing that
was startling. The alligator did not
propose to be used as lounge by
the fleeing Yanks, no matter how
tired they were.
We dragged on till nearly daylight,
and began to look for some place in
which to be secreted during the day.
We saw what appeared to be a clump
of bushes with a large pine tree stand
and sat down to rest and Adams soon
fell asleep. | thought best to exam
inc the situation little before trust
ing myself to go to sleep, and was
considerably startled by hearing
a cock crow. My hair began to rise
on my head and [ awoke Adams and
told him we must get out of that
quick metre The roosters crowed
again and Adams came to himself
and we took to the road again, and
had just got past set of buildings
when [ heard some one snoring close
beside me. L caught Adams by the
arm and we stood breathless to as
certain the situation. When we got
our eyes opened little [ saw we
were really inside a rebel camp, and
/ realized that we were close beside a
sentinel who had fallen asleep. We
soon backed out little and under
took to go around the camp, but the
bushes cracked under our feet, and
we made so much noise that we con-
cluded it safer to march straight
ahead, taking our chances with the
guards on the other side the camp.
We took hold of hands and marched
as carefully and steadily as possible
and did not arouse the guard on the
OOHCl olOC, allu IhOuSI VIC SuilOoiiu-
ed and captured a rebel encampment,
did not deem it wise to take our pris-
oners along with us. 1t was grow
ing light, and we hid in clump of
bushes, where we remained all day in
plain sight of the camp, and not far
from it. At night we started out
again, but it was so dark we made
little headway, and not being sure
of our route we hid ourselves again.
The little 'sgrub' we had with us was
in bad condition, having been water
soaked when we jumped the cars,
and we were getting terribly hungry
and thirsty. The next night we trav-
eled on for about two hours, and gave
it up, concluding not to go farther
until we could obtain some knowl-
edge of where we were and where the
road led. We were compelled, by
some means to obtain both food and
water. l struck out in the darkness
after water, and in wandering about
fell into a pool. l drank some
of it, and though to me, in my thirs-
ty condition it seemed good, l found
it thick with slime or filth. | took
some to Adams, and we drew our
blankets over our faces to shield them
from mosquitoes and fell asleep.
When we awoke in the morning |
was still thirsty, and took my cup to
get another cup of water, when |
found it half full of mud. Going to
the water pool / found ID or 20 hogs
in it. I Immediately lost relish for
that kind Of water. We found we
were near a large plantation and the
buildings were in sight. We had to
lay very quiet that day in the very
small clump of bushes where we slept
the night before. Sometime during
the day we heard noise, and look
ing up saw a man coming on horse
back, with a bloodhound following.
We thought it all up with us, but the
man and dog went past us, not thirty
feet away, without seeing us. Not
long after fell into sort of browse,
when l heard a peculiar noise close
beside me, and upon opening my eyes
saw, within two feet of my head, a
big rattlesnake, in the seeming atti-
tude of striking me in the face. |
never turned over quicker than [ did
then to escape an enemy. l told
Mr.. Snake that if he would go along
about his business l would attend to
mine. [ might have killed him, but
dared not expose myself to view. |
concluded not to sleep any more that
day. Just at dark there came up
very heavy shower, and having got
the lay of the land pretty well, we
set out to the negro shanties not far
away, thinking to find shelter and
some friendly hand to give US food
or to direct us on our way toward
the coast. We found an abandoned
house close by the negro hamlet, and
climbed up into the loft and slept till
morning.
We had become SO nearly famished
that we must have help or give our
selves mp. We looked out of the
loft and found the place was full of
negroes, but not a white person was
seen. We saw we were on large
plantation, the owner and all his
white brethren probably off in the
army. We decided our only means
of help to be in making our case
known to somebody. Adams started
out, and going into large piece of
corn which ran along beside the shan
ties, was discovered by boy who