The National tribune., 1900-06-14
8 81 Kleqq
II n as q
~ Veteran
The Boys Take a Rest in the Home of the
"HarnGs."

Yankee prisoners f'oIl Andersonylllc:
repeated the negro slowly and in a Gazcd
voice, as if trying hard to comprehend the
astounding announcement.
"Ycs; Yankee prisoners, escaped from
Andersonvillc, Uncle" repeated 81, in an
assuring tone. Your friends, and in great
| trouble"
The negro climbed down from his mule,
took off his Sunday hat, q venerable, bell
crowned beaver, and approached 81 with
a mien of deep respect, mingled with in
tense curiosity. lie me done see yo' ALL
| I've done heared oh Yankees all my life,
but ncbber hab seed airy one. Le' me bab
good look at yo' all. How in de libin'
world did yo' git hyah:"
"That's too long 4 story to tell you just
| now. To-day we snatcbcd some hosScs
away from the people at the little meetln'
! house on the other side o the valley and
bolicd acrost here stirrin, up the whole
| country, which is after us"
Done tuck de hOSScs fOm Gilgal
| Church." chucklcd the negro. "Mouty glad
oh hit. Dcy's stuck-up froward let
! what thinks dcirseyes bcttern most folks,
| and haint at all sound on total immersion
| and cluS communion.
| Dat old roof-rascr. Deacon Hornblow-
or, he preach dcrc to-day and swap bosses
| artcrward. He always do dat. lie de
| greatest hoSS-swappcr in de Oconee Val
! ley. He haint got but one sarmon-suth-
| in bout de spiler comm down froo de
woods onto de high ground but, my. what
| he know bout de pints oh hosses d make
book InOuty nigh rs big ms de Bible hit
| self. He OEiy go about prcachin ter git
chance ter swap hOsses. lie beat my
| ole massa"-
That's all very interesting, Uncle" !"
| broke IN shorty. stories o hoSs-trates al
| ways are, when you haint got nothin' else
| to do than to listen to 'em. Just now
we're nearly dead for something TO eat
and ackchclly dying for a place to hide
and rest. wouldn't listen 10 story Of
| hoss-trade between President Lincoln and
| Queen Victory"
| The negro scratched his head and stud
| led for minute or two, and then said:
Yes; | bclieb yo's jst what yo done say
yo is-YanI;cc soljers and prisoners. YO'
| don't got no hawns, nor bar claw:, nor
| spiked tails, as dey 'uns done tolc we 'uns
yo' all had, but dey 'uns tell we 'uns lots
| oh tings dat amt in no manner true. |
| bclieb yo're Yankees, Eaze yo' don't talk
| like ary uddcr men i ebber hcared. / be-
licb de good i4awd done sent me ter yo,
| and I'm a-gwine ter help yo' eff | kin"
lie scratched his head again, in deep
| thought, and then asked.
| '.Is yo' Yankees afcarcd OBJ harnts"
1iaGHtS. . w nat are iHey AHDthti hluu
Of snakes:' asked Sandy Baker, with a
! trcmor in his voice.
'Harnts! Are they anything that bite?'
echoed Pete.
''Iiarnts: Do you mean something
| that'il piZrn your face and handsE' asked
Shorty, with a memory of his own swollen
| features and hands.
What do you mean by harnts:" asked
ST.
wy, harnts is harnts. Ghostses, don't
| yo know? ss'perrits. Bad dead men come
back ter torment folkscs, an bcwitch dem,
and put spells onter 'em. Thcy's jist or
| fui, | tell yo' fer fact
I "CunfOurd the dead men, said ST con-
tcmptuousiy. Dead men don't bother Us.
no matter how long they've bin dead. It's
the living, the feilcTs that we wish was
dead, that worry us. What was you goin'
to say? Go ou with your story"
fright obcr dar," said the negro, point
| ing, bout n mile frOO de woods is de
safest place ! know fer fokses what amt
afcarcd OBJ harnts. Nobody, white nor
black, will go a-nigh hit. chen in de day
time. Alright dcy'd radder be skun alibe
! dan 20 any closctcr ter hit dan we air
now. De harnts sometimes git 50 vicious
! dat dcy comes ~clar down hyah ter de big
| road an wells Mt fOlkSeS, an chaSrS dem
! cI'ar ter de cricl. Dar's de orfullcst harnts
! up dar il the hull world. I'd rudder be
| burnt alibc dam
What makes the place hauntcd?" in
Quired 81, catching on to the meaning of
the word at last.
We'll, long ago, dar libcd in a cabin up
| dar a mouty bad man, who one day killed
! his wife and chillen. Den he fastened
| hisself up in his cabin, an said he wouldn't
| be took by nobody, an shot de constable
! wat tried ter take him. Den de hull
| ncighboIh0od turned out, and dey done
| shot him right in his house. an done left
! 4
| up ebcr knowed in dis country and bowed
| down all de trees fer Il mile around de
cabin. Since den dar's bin nobody but
harnts up dar, an nobody clscll 90 dar."
There's the place we want to go to-"
| said ST. The very place we've bin hunt
in. Go right ahead, Uncle, and show us
the way"
NO, sab; akin yer parding" said the
negro firmly. I'll do anything in the
world fer yo' but 20 up dar | won't go
a step nearer dat place fer all the gold in
Californy. | wouldn't if yo'd done kill me
! daid. l wouldn't set foot often de big
| road inter dem woods on no account in de
world. Old Pete Harpster's ghost s bin
alter me too often. He's done chased me
| ci'ar ter de crick many times, yellin' like
a painter ut cbcry jump. He wants me
| wuSScn AIRY one else, kase | belongs ter de
man who done shot him froo de heart.
Hit was Massa Ben Smalls rine-he was
only boy dcn-what settled him. But
yo' can't miss de place if yore done bound
ter 90 dar. Yo' jist 90 right froo de woods
till yo' done come ter de fallen timber an
dar yo' is. Hits all over de ground fer
miles, so tick dat a rabbit kin skeercely
| git froo.'
An right. Uncle, Wen find it, said 81,
rcioiced at the prospect of such a prom
Using covert. Now is there any way that
you kin git us something to eat. We're
starving"
I've done bin t'inkin' bout dat dar.
My cabins Il right smart piece f'Om hyah.
We hai't got muffin dar, only some corn
dodgers my ole woman's bin bakin' fer de
week She done de churnin' fer de big
house Yesterday, an brung home de butter
milk ter feed de pigs"
Bring us the dodgers and the butter
milk said 81, his mouth watering at the
thought ''You kin find something else
fer the pigs"
"Yo go right down dar by dat gum
spring, yoIl find step or two ahead, an
wait till | done come back. Be keerful
ter keep back in de brush, if anyone comes
along. Dey all stops at dat spring ter
drink. Dai's de fines water in all dis
country. I'll be back agn as soon's |
kin. Yo' all ii be safe as long as yo' stay
in de brush on dG. side OBJ de road. No
body gv'inc intei de brush dat away,
specially arter night. White mems just's
afeared oh de harnts as de niggers is"
Try to keep awake, boys, and all stand