The National tribune., 1902-12-25

my heart-strines 90 part with" said Capt.
Higgins, bringing forward his last. Hes
as worthless a Niger as ever lived for all
ordinary purposes, and an absolute incum-
brance in camp. except that he can hear .
rooster crow 10 miles, and make his way
to him in the darkest night. He's got q
scent for stillhouse, too, that beats .
blo6dhound's"
rs that so?" inquired the Adjutant.
Now there's man that's too valua bic to
lose. You never know when you may
need such man where we're going. You
can take him along"
Capt. Dunbar, the inveterate joker Of
the regiment. came up with 10 likely
young mulattoes. all arrayed in famboy-
ant militia uniforms and armed with ridie-
ulous old-time weapons-blunderbus
matchlOcks, cutlasses, scimeters, sabers,
unwieldy crooked sabers, etc, etc.
The negroes had been drilled until they
could perform their facings tolerably well,
and as Capt. Dunbar lined them up before
the Adjutant. he called out:
There. Adjutant. you are not going to
have the heart to take away that hne bat
TALON from us, are you? Just as l vas
getting it into good shape for active ser
vice, too. We have been at no end OK
trouble to get all these uniforms together.
We begged. borrowed and stole from every
hummer that came in with q Fourth-of-
OF the right kind of arms for them until
we went through the museum at the ar
senal. II l had that outfit up North,
wouldn't take 81 900 for it. It'd make no
end Of money for a Sanitary Fair. We
could have more fun than with q barrel
of monkeys il we could keep it in camp a
few days. I'm getting up the funniest
drill for Them
I'D like to have the fun. and like to
see the drill, Captain" said the Adjutant.
But the orders say that all these must 60
today, and today they must go. Sergt
Klegg, add this choice collection to your
unique assortment"
Other Captains came up with the gath
erings from their company camps, until
81 had given into his charge from the bril-
gade between go and 800 negroes, Of
both sexes and all ages. While much the
greater proportion were coarse, ignorant
field hands, there was a smart sprinkling
Of sleek house servants, generally with
strains of white blood in them; carpenters,
blacksmiths, helpers around the turpentine
stills, foremen Of turpentine gangs, millers,
and others more or less skilled and intelli.
gent.
Similar gatherings came from the other
brigades, divisions and corps, until there
stretched along the road leading to VIII
mingtOn fully 10000 negroes. mulattoes
and Quadr0Ons, young and old, nile and
female, all bound for that wonderful,
Abraham Lincoln land, where the owner,
with his power over life and death, and
the overseer, with his cruel lash were to
be known and feared no more.
With them went the most wonderful ar
ray Of vehicles that man had ever seen to-
gether. Calashes, carryalls, buggies,
coaches, many Of the kinds in use before
the Revolution-preserved in the back
Carolina woods, as rare animals are in I'M
trodden forests, had been brought forth by
the all-pervadiHg Runners to carry their
forage to camp, and were now turned over
to the negroes for their Wilmington trip.
Wonderful sight, that. Howard" said
Gen. Sherman, riding up on crest where
a number Of officers had gathered to take
in the view. "Those people would eat .
trainload Of stuff every week. Mighty
good radiance. Mighty good radiance,
tell you. Awful hard work accommodating
any supplies as long as they are around.
Well enough to take them away from
where they are raising food for Lee and
Johnston, but l don't want them to eat
us out Of house and home"
much better have left them back on
the plantations where they belonged"
grumbled the sour-faced JEFF @. Davis.
Never should have been allowed along to
cumber up the army. have always done
all 1 could to keep them back. Niggers
are u CuTSe " al1 pICiCK
that the rebels should be cursed by them,
rather than u.s."
"They are all Gods creatures" said
Gen. Howard. Made in His image. the
same as the rest Of US. They are our
brothers put in our keeping, and we shall
have to answer some day for them
hope that this march is as great step for
them as for the Children of Israel when
they crossed the Red Sea-"
down tho i0uo po1umn cfr0n0.
lunged negro, with a rich baritone voice,
struck up a song which had been taught
him By the soldiers:
"Say, darkeys hab you seen de massa,
Wild de muff-staf on his face.
Wild de muff-stash on his face,
Go long de road some time dis morn-in',
Like he gwine to Leah de placer
He seen a smoke. way up de ribber,
Whar de Link-um gum-b boats lay;
He took his hat, an lef berry sudden,
An / spec he's run away
Chorus
De mas-sa run, ha, hal
Ha, hal no. no!
De dar-keys stay, no, no!
1t mus be now de kingdom comm
An de year OBJ ju-bi-lo.
He six foot one way, three foot tud-der,
An he weigh tree hundred pound.
His coat so big, he couldn't pay de tailor,
An it won't go hat way round.
He drill so much dey call him Cap-an,
An he get so dref-ful tann'd,
spec he try an fool dem Yankees,
For to tink he's contra band.
Hundreds of powerful, melodious voices,
male and female, took up the catchy cho-
rus, and the long, struggling column NOV
ed away over the hills in volume of
song, to that new, bright land nourished
by the sun Of Freedoms never-fading
rays.
Say, Shorty, that crowd would be Q
picnic for squad of rebel cavalry hid
down there in the woods somewhere" said
ST. Lets cut down this road to the
right, and keep along on the flank, to BE-
on hand in case of need"
Ito be continuedl
A FLORIDA HOME FOR VOLUNTEERS.
A Welcome From the People as Warm as ths
Sunshine Awaits the Veterans.
florida Times Union and Citizen, Jack.
sonville, Fla.)
The American soldier has always been
the personiication of the citizens pa
triotic devotion, and the disabled or inn
poverished soldier has always command
cd the wealth OF the Nation to the extent