The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-03-07
BOLIVAR, TENN, Feb. IL, 1890.


eral miles in width The Pasquotank
md Perquimnlons and others were thus
crossed near the sea. The Chowan was
crossed much higher up. The captain
had boats of his own sunk in all these
rivers except the Chowan, and they were
brought up from the bottom for our ac-
commodatiop. The boats were old and
rickety and leaky. Beng small, they
were 50 crowded that only one man could
have room enough To do the bailing'
This Job performed with large gourd,
one night fell to my lot. / found it any,
thing but sinecure position. The water
poured in on us-the implement for bail
ing was small and had to make amends
for the size of my gourd by speed in the
use OF it. Our rate of travel was slow, and
distance great. The heavy load and the
rickety condition of the boat forbade a
change of hands, 20 that when we reached
the opposite shore felt that my light
job of battling was about as heavy light
job as i had ever performed. But a
WEAKNESS that brought safety, was little
thought Of On the march we were often
forced to leave the swamp and the roads OF
the lumbermen and take the public high
way, never, however, a great way from
the swamp. One night we were passing
through long lane, across large planta-
ton, the swamp quarter of a mile away
to our right, our guard in advance and
rear as usual. The march was rapid, the
silence profound and danger imminent.
Under such circumstances stampede is
not unusual. Some slight sound coming
back from the advance guard was inter-
preted to mean "sa bersl" "sabersp and in
an instant we were flying across the farm
making for the swamp, quarter of mile
away. Being little lame of foot and
feeling in no condition to contend with
orses ON Quarter stretch, and seeing
an apple orchard ON my right hand, l
leaped the fence and climed up bushy
apple tree. remembering the lucky escape
of King Charles under. similar. circum-
stances and in like manner. Thinking as
we'll as a man could think after such a
race, that the cavalry would see the men
running across the field and not stop to
examine the orchard, and when they had
passed that would slip down and run
in opposite direction. But the alarm was
false one After little time had pass
ed, / heard the low whistle of partridge
in near apple tree. 1t was the guide
calling us together. A reply came from
all directions and seemingly from the ap-
pie trees. slid down from my tree to
see a man sliding down from nearly every
tree in the orchard and found afterwards
that every man thought himself the sole
occupant OF an apple tree. Such SIAM
pedes occurred more than once. Now
don't smile, reader, and say in your heart
that we were more timid than the occasion
demanded, but keep this fact before your
mind, that we were hunted for nearly two
weeks by four regiments of cavalry; that
they sometim es met us in the road, some
times came upon our rear; that we often
saw them pass as we lay watching in the
bush, and sometimes when they had
passed us we stepped into the road just
behind them and followed them for hours.
In the swamp there was perfect security
against capture, but to leave it half a
mile away was danger. Secure. however.
as we were from capture in the swamp
still even that security was attended with
its unpleasantness. will tell you OF one |
such. One day we were sleeping in an
old camp of the lumbermen lying side by
side. / was awakened from an unpleas-
ant sleep or nightmare. l dreamed that |
a snake was crawling across my body, |
and having a natural fear of such vari-
ments, | sprag up to a sitting posture in
great alarm to find my dream a reality.
A large green snake nearly as large as
a m ans arm, and four or FIVE feet in
length, had Just crawled across me and
was then passing over the bodies of doz-
en- others soundly asleep and unaware of
their danger. Ny springing up had al
armed the snake and il sped away quick
Iy into the bush. 1t was then too late to
give an alarm, 80 lay down and slept
again. / tell this not by way of bravado,
but to illustrate how weary we must have
been to sleep soundly with such surround
lngs.
CTo be continued-l