Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-03


meat they must treat with the opossums
and the chickens.
My road was constantly diverging
from the river, but / had not yet aban-
doned my first plan Of travel by boat.
The only attempt made, however, to
reach the water again landed me in an
impeDetrable swamp where the tall
trees grew cut of the yellow water as far
az could see between their trunks. !
had spent the best part Of night in my
fruitless explorations. and throughout
the day that followed / remained in
hiding OH the edge Of peanut or GOO
Der field. / secured an armful Of the
vines and tried TO eat the green beans,
some of which were in the milk. / was
provided i'll this journey several times
with boiled peanuts, which was favor
ite way Of cooking when the bean was
too green TO bake.
After this failure to reach the river /
gave over the attempt for the time, but
thought seriously of trying u road which
was told led to the river at Eutaw
Springs, when shonld reach it.
Il was singular thoroughfare. the
one was following night after night
probably as old as the state-well grad
ed, white and clean. the sand perhaps
little too deep, but during the hours /
moved Oh it as still and deserted rs
though il ran through the heart OF an
A o.. IL 1aI ,nkf N
railway for miles and miles over swamps
by endless bridges having low board
parapet ut the sides. and the limbs OF
the trees which overhung il were fes-
toOned with moss. The ceaseless chorus
Of the frogs and the tree toads from tho
swamp aud the forest varied the loneli-
ness and solitude OF my surroundings.
The s,agnant water in the mossy ditch
over the rail Of the causeway looked as
black as ink from above, but when !
had occasion TO fill my cup found it
clear and sweet, the color coming from
the black mold beneath. For whole
nights not habitation was visible-on-
ly here and there q cato marking the
titIdilNf w ~ liiNt'c ioau. th'Ac "Nto
nights, too, when the interminaDle fm'-
ests gave place 10 open fields tbickly
studded with girdled trees whose bare
limbs we're white in the moonlight.
There were now small houses standing
near TO the road, built free from the
ground On stout posts, with conical
sugar houses in the yard and patches Of
cane coming down to the fences.
One day | lay concealed in negro
hut on the border Of vast sweet potato
primitive construction-simply roof OF
fence rails leaning upon ridge pole
and thatched with turf. In this pictur-
esque hove! my meat was cowpeas.
The chief hardship Of this lonely jour
ney was the interrSinable afterpart OF
the day in camp The travel through
the mild September night was full OF
incident and change Of scene. With
companion / should have considered ev-
cry night walk u pleasant excursion As
it was, it was great improvement on
the life | had left behind. As / swung
easily along the silent road kept my
mind on the pleasures in store for me
in case won the hazardous game was
patiently playing against my keepers,
whom nt present held ut such graft
flying advantage.
kept the "big road" until ! arrived
at Goose creek, only few miles in the
rear Of Charleston. On the right ut the
turning was "A quaint little chapel, half
covered with bushes, and on the left
house. where from the servants obtain
cd supply Of boiled sweet potatoes.
Here | took road turning north, in
tending 10 make my way to the coast
above Charleston. Another long day |
passed lying behind log in the tall
grass, so near To the road, along which
carriages passed now and again. that
overheard fragments Of conversation. /
nibbled at my sweet potatoes for hours,
prolonging 10 the utmost the process OK
mastication When the last veStige Of a
potato was consumed, speculated on
what part Of an hour might have been
absorbed in the process.
About this time / learned that l
should find 10 boats along the shore be-
tween Charleston and the mouth Of the
Santee, everything able to float having
been destroyed by the Confederate au-
thorities TO prevent the escape OF the ne
groes and the desertion Of the soldiers.
/ was ferried over the broad river by
q crusty old darky, whose dugout, after
long delay, emerged from the shadows
of the low trees marking the opposite
shore and came padding across through
the reflected stars i'll answer to my con-
tinuous cries of 80 Yer! Over" Ny
treatment by the negroes hitherto had
been so univ ersally kind and consider
ate that was alarmed at the man : sur
" manner and gave him my case knife,
which was a very precious possession,
by way of fee for the crossing. On
this night l obtained the only taste Of
meat Of all this l3 days journey from n
venerable old negro whom l found alone
in his cabin eating possum and rice.
After crossing the Cooper river
found myself on vast plantation as
level as the sea l was nearing. whose
fields Of rice and sweet potatoes were
laid off in endless squares, separated by
sandy roadways. Away on the horizon
to the right was glow Of light which
came from the ont Of door fires at the
quarters. Going in the direction Of this
light, / met party Of slaves OF both
sexes carrying baskets and clumsy hoes.
had never seen before human beings OF
SO low grade of intelligence. The men
were scarcely distinguishable from the
women, and Of all their heathenish chat
ter the only two Ineligible words /
could understand were "massa" and
"baca"
At this time, although in my twenty
fourth year, had never seen the open
seacoast beaten by the surf, and being
satisfied that had no hope Of escape in
that direction it was in part my Curl
osity that led me to press ON to the finish
and partly vague idea that would get
Confederate transportation back to Co
lumbia and flom there take fresh start
westward bound with one or more com
panions. ] inspected the palmetto trees
which found growing out Of tho sand
and relished keenly the scent Of the
ocean and all the novel evidences Of my
approach to the sea for the first time. ]
wandered along the coast for hours. en-
joying the novel experience. The tide
was ont, and in little cove found an
abundance Of oysters bedded in the mud,