The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-28

cypress slabs and a number of rot
ting log shanties that evidently had
not been used "sence befo' de
wah." Bel carefully looked over the
ground and decided that "Ro humans had
been in thar fo' months N months" We
sat down and made hearty breakfast on
the corn bread and meat which Abe, the
overseer of the Branch place, had so
thoughtfully provided the night before.
There was plenty to satisfy our keen ap-
petites and leave US enough for another
meal
We reasoned, and, as it proved, correctly,
that the swamp extended north TO the
Savannah river, and, although it promised
hard travelling, the prospects of its being
comparatively safe decided us to try it,
We still carried our boots slung over our
shoulders, and, cutting two poles to help
US along and enable US to take soundings,
we started off again. Although we occa-
sionally encountered sharp roots, the soft
earth and frequent pools were grateful
to our feet, and our spirits rose accord
ingly.
The pools increased in number and the
ground became more spongy till noon, when
we reached a hammock that rose out of tn
swamp like an island, and appeared to be
several acres in extent. l was about to
suggest that we take advantage of this
place to finish our ratioDs and get some
sleep, for we had been marching contiu-
ually for about seventeen hours when we
were brought to q sudden halt by the click
ing of rife lock, and horse voice from
the front demanded:
"Who goes thar.'
"Friends!" l replied at a venture.
"Whar is you 'front.'"
'Down the river
''5evannah"'
Yes"
"Desartin9''
What in hi brings you hiding in har,
them"
Before 1 could frame an answer to this
Bell shouted out, although we could not see
the mao who challenged us:
''Whau in HI brings uns hidin in har!'
1--WE amt hidin," and another rife be-
came visible beside the one already cover
ing US from the bushes.
stWa'aln continued Bell. ''You uns hez
got the drop on we pns; 80 II you uns be
men and not doggoned skunks. stop this
fooin and show yerselves. We uns amt
got no guns
IAN you don't peah to hev much of any
ting else.n This was said with laugh,
the bushes were pushed aside, and two
men with long hair, shaggy boards and
ragged gray uniforms stood before US.
These were evidently some Of the men for
whom the searchers were looking, ana
from their appearance it was certain that
the searchers could not take them without
q fight, and not then unless they had the
means TO "totingn them.
They approached Us and shook hands
with that hearty camaraderia which l i'm
agine is peculiar to all men who have set
the laws at defiance and are rather glad Of
IL. One of the two spoke with hearty
Irish accent that sounded pleasantly famil-
Jar and there was humorous twinkle In
his gray eyes ss he said:
''Gintemin, me an ne friend, Commo-
dore Williams, belongs to the provost
guard, and as we was sint in here to ex-
anime all min passin an TO look at their
papers, veil Place produce yer turloughs.' u
''Or yer discharges" said Commodore
Williams 81 attend to the discharges.
and my friend, Major General Nolan, OF
the Swamp Rangers, attends to the fur
lcughs."
Boys said Bell, with a preliminary
oath of great length and originality of con-
struction, You uns is a-tryin to be funny
and pn allow hits purity good fur's / ken
see hit. But we uns AMT got no papers
along"
well, if yer ready to take oath that yez
has lost thin or STINT thin home by post
itn do as well, for me an Commodore vii
liams amt the min TO be hard on the bies
ere we, commodore!''
/ could not help laughing at the wild
sense Of humor Of these TWO outlaws il
giving to each other titles that implied
their dominion of land and water, which
seemed to be mixed up in equal parts in the
country around them. They took US TO be
deserters like themselves, and we fell in
with and encouraged this belief during ouI
stay on this remarkable island. Back oil
the line OF dwarf magnolias there was 9
hut, with a roof sloping to the ground. ano
fire in front. Inside the hut there were
a half dozen muskets and the belts, blan
kets and ragged coats hanging from tho
pegs limited that these two men had com
panions IN their retreat.
Bel and professed TO be east Tennessee
conscripJs, aud, while carefully concealine
our sSmpathies, We confessed that We
thought the war was near an end, and thai
we wanted 10 get home Ia our friends
We told the major general and the commo-
dore what we had learned about the search
ers, nor were we surprised 10 tiud them fan
better informed than ourselves. They
cooked Us some dinner, and l recall tha
with our corn bread we had excellent frest
meat, ana ii was, am very sure, either
"'possum'' or coon: but no matter tht
name, It was pleasant change from IA
bread Of our prison days.
Our hosts saw our fatigue and our sort
feet, and the commodore gave US a bari
wash for the latter while the major genera
was preparing our bed in the hut. Afte
l3ell and Law down, which we did withou
fear, one Of the men made ''smudgen tina
filled the hut with smoke and drove on
the mosquitoes, which had been very an
noying. This was the first entirely restfu
sleep we had had since our escape for W.
knew these men would protect US as if w
were Of their band.
/ recall this sleep as the most refresh
ing had had since my capture in Decem
Der. and do not think it was eoualed il
solid comfort in the forty-three Gays, o
rather forty-three nights. which we spen
in trying to get back TO the Union lines.
was the first to wake up. and with tn
caution born of contact with danger
rubbed my eyes and listened quietly 10 HI
sound OF voices that had disturbed me. I
was dark, but the fact that there was
group Of men eating about the fire befor
the nut told me that il was either ye,,
early in the morning or rather late in tn
evening, and decided that it was ihe lai
ter. By rising on my elbow 1 could loo
across Bell and see the men cooking an,
eating about the ire. A stalWart negro
with shiny face and the merest anolog
for shirt, was doing the cooking Will
the major general and the commodore. wiz
three other white men, were doing the eat
ing. One of the newcomers sat with
paper in one hand and his back to the LIGHT
and while be helped himself with the ofhe
hand he read and made comments SONS
thing like this:
1.-THE Chronicle does so lie, no one can,
hardly believe il when it tells the trntf
but reckon it amt far wrong bout On
folks and the Yanks. Jest listen to this
boys: so far in this campaign everv NOV
made by Sherman has been foiled by tha
master of strategy and grand tactics, on
own heroic Joe Johnston. With the cool
ness of abius and the audacity of Pomner
h.r hnnr, .l,.n ,,-i ha W.. 49,