The National tribune., 1902-07-17


ance that my heart gave me when run
ming the picket line the night before was
| reproduced here. l was so sure that that
wild beating could be heard by others as
clearly as l could hear it that l expected
| it to betray us any moment. We could
see the pickets off guard sitting around a
comfortable fire. That to us was an anxi-
Gus moment. We were now abreast of the
| picket line. but they could not see us, as
| they were looking from the bright freight
| into the dark gloom that overshadowed
| the river. among the thick pines and cy-
| press trees. Woe to us had they known
anything of our presence. Their challenge
| would have come in the form of leaden
hail. But they could not see us, and here
/ took pains that the paddle with which l
| was steering should not come in contact
| with the edge of the boat, SO as to avoid
making the slightest sound. l was afraid
| at times that the pickets would hear the
ripping noise of the boat running through
| the water, but we discovered that the
sound mingled with the continued ripping
| of the river against the Instructions and
| limbs Of the low trees which projected out
into the stream.
Now we were past the picket line, their
| camp-fires receding rapidly behind us in
| the darkness. We soon entered that BASIN
| shaped part of the river that the old col
Ored man had cautioned us about. knew
| from experience with running water and
| boats that the current would naturally set
| through the center towards the next mar
rowest place in the river, so now l began
| to let the boat, without any aid on my
part to propel her, go along through the
water, but took care to keep her head
| pointing down stream.
| In n little while we entered the next
narrows and were making rapid headway
along the banks. We did not know but
that we might at any moment be
brought to !. halt by a shower of bullets
from either side of the river, or from both
sides at once. We felt very uneasy. My
heart still kept up that strange, wild beat
ing. We had no way of even guessing at
the time of night. Though the stars had
shone during the first portion of the night,
they were now all obscure because of the
cloud of mist that rose over the river and
from the swampy land on both sides. 1t
was extremely dark.
Presently we heard to the left, on the
north side of the river, the crow Of n
rooster, and in n few seconds he was an
swered by another on the right, or south,
side of the river, and shortly after this
at once. BY this We judged that daylight
must certainly be approaching. AT this
juncture one of the men, Stiffened and
cramped by his long crouching in the boat,
showed signs of rising. l touched him
carefully with the paddle to warn him to
ne Stiu. LII HILL dl HOuT tut
light of day struggled through the misty
clouds overhanging the land in the east.
Our hearts leaped for joy, for now we be
lieved that we were safely below the
Outermost guards of the rebel picket line.
A few minutes later the approaching
daylight was so visible that l concluded
that it was about time to signal my COM
rade, who was waiting in the bow Of the
boat ready to assist me to propel her
through the water. During our most try
ing moments gliding down river, and op-
posite the picket lines, we had concluded
that only one of us should steer the boat,
so as to avoid any possible danger of dis
covery. Now that our greatest danger
was past, / called my comrade, and he
Immediately began work, and with his
paddle on one side and l with mine on the
other, we shot the boat swiftly down the
stream, and in few lusty strokes we saw
that we were adding immensely to our
speed Sometimes we would send our pad
dies down through the shallow water of
the river until we scraped the mud from
the bottom, sending the boat flying ahead
After a while the clouds in the east be-
gan to change from the morning gray to
the rosy radiance Of full daylight. On We
went. We were now safe from all OBJ
structions, for we could see everything on
both sides of the river. In about an hour
more we turned sharp bend in the river
mists that had hung over land and water
had almost disappeared. Right then, look
ing through a gap in the tall pines, we
saw Old Glory kissing the sunbeam and
looking more glorious, more beautiful, than
she ever had before.
As one man we rent the air with our
cheers and shouts. In a few minutes we
were up with our own pickets. who ex-
tended across the river on both sides. They
challenged US, for we looked like anything
but Union soldiers, clad in our tattered
rags, that had once been rebel uniforms.
They thought that we were deserters from
the rebel lines, coming to give ourselves
up to the Federal soldiers.
Our hearts leaping with delight, and al
most overwhelmed with the joy of relief.
we entered the lines of our comrades,
where we received hearty welcome and
congratulations for having escaped so mar
rowly a slow and fearful death at Ander
sonville.
We felt deeply sorry as we contemplated
the fate of our seven comrades in the little
schoolhouse prison at Salisbury, but hav-
ing done all in our power to persuade
them to come with us, we felt that no
blame could attach to us. After the war
was told by one Of the nine comrades
that escaped that be had learned that all
seven Of the boys had perished at Ander
sonville.