The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-01-03
zED's PRIsoNER.
by NJ. QUAD.

for two or three DAYS and nights. on
tered our lines. Itso happened that il,
flrst approached tho point at which
was standing sentinel. 1 stood under ,
tree in o little glade of woods, with the
next picket a hundred feet to my left
1t was q Gear, starlight night. ant
about IL o'clock. After llad been on M
hcur 1 heard o suspicious movement i,
the brush opposite me- and across the
g'aae' winch was about fifty feet wide
On such a night with ones ears
strained 10 catch the slightest sound, Q
sentinel could detect q rabbit moving
IN the brush. located the noise, but
1t was difficult to determine the cause,
Naturally enough. l believed it to he
inade by some Confederate who had
crept up to give me a shot. I itepred
behind tho tree, raised my gun and
cooked it, and then waited. A long
minute passed away. and then I saw =
black object which I knew to he a man
steal into the glade. He was on his
hands aad knees. and no longer donbt.
ing that hc was q bushwhacker I took
fair aim at him and fired. On the heels
OF the loud report he sprane up with q
shrill yell and shouted:
Dom kill dis nigger-I'ze yunion!'
The alarm was running around the
picket line, when l called to know who
was there. and tho same voice an.
swe-ed:
"Why, TIE Zeb!'
"Who is Zeb?"
Runaway niger who wants to line
to de yunion."
"Have you a gun?"
"IDeed. no."
sWe!l, como ill.,"
He roSe up off the ground ana
walked straight to my tree, holding one
big, back hand to the top of his head.
My bullet had cut through tho wool
over his lei car and drawn blood. /
was soon satisfied that he was what he
claimed to be, and when the Corporal
and his guard came up Zeb was sent to
camp.
Next morning I hunted him up, and
he turned out T., he IL genuine runaway
"a man about thirty years of age, and
one OF the most powerful men, black or
white, l ever saw. 1t was no trick at
al f"r him to back upto al army wagon
loaded with IL thousand pounds of ilay
and lift the hiud wheels clear of the
ground, although no two white men in
our b.isadc could do the same. He
was talen into the brigade commissaYy
department and when the battle of
Gaincs' Mill began he was two or three
miles away with IL train of wagons. My
regiment was in the thick woods. sllelt-
cred behind u temporary brea>twork,
and uIfI,nurI N-a n,,,1.l l,,17.1.. ry---1
crates Oh Il front We knew from the
sounds of battle that they were gradl,-
ally outilanking us on both wings. We
finally got the order to withdraw. We
broke back snllenly and g%rndgingly,
and the Condolences followed foot bv
foot.
We had just taken n now position,
and fresh troops had come up to protect
the ilanks, when Zeb appeared. 1 was
standing behind atree when he came up
and exclaimed:
"Lor' a-mightv, but what eberybody
t,yin' to do? Seems like de hull airth
am gwine to smask!'
You'd better get ~bacl--you'll be
llit!' 1 replied: but he raised himself
on tip-toes, looked into the woods
W''O'N&s N'NS StNtuciily CuttCu Ol1I.
70 de Lawd, but dat's Marse
Harry! I'ze gwine to bring him right
in vorei"
And he dashed by me straight at the
Confederate skirmi>h line, which was
only q Jew rods ahead OF their line of
batt!e, and saw him rush ut a young
officer almost opposite me, lift him from
the earth and throw him over his
shoulder, and back he came with his
human burden, straight to my tree.
His captive was n First Lieutenant i'll n
Virginia regiment-one of the regiments
coming with Jackson from the valley
and the officer was II sou of Zeb's mas
ter. L myself took him to the rear and
delivered him over, while Zeb trotied
along by his side. He was i, handsome
young fellow Of %. rugged nut in o new
uniform, and in spite of his deep cl.agrin
at being captured i'll such a manner he
could not help but see the lulicrous
side OF tho adventure.
"Y"' nus dun '>cnse me-" said Zeb,
a. We made our way to the rear, "but
lie dun j'ined to de yunion army now,
an dem ar rebels Is no tit 'sociates fur
yo'. lie sorry il I mussed yo'r clothes,
but l knowed it was de only way to
bring yo' NJ
We had the officer about two months
before he Was exchanged, while Zeb
stayed with Us n year or moro and was
then made assistant porter in some of
the dc ailments in Washington. De-
rot Free Press. .