The National tribune., 1902-07-17
WASHINGTON G., THURSDAY

upon the picket should he challenge. But
luckily the sneeZe was not heard by the
picket-luckily for him, for had he stopped
/ would have sprung upon him, plunged
the bowie knife into his breast. snatched
his rifle and shot the other picket. and
with the rest of my comrades plunged into
the forest. l whispered o1my comrades
to crawl rapidly across the picket line be-
fore the pickets had time ito reach the
end of their beats, then, rise to our feet
and gain the cover Of the, forest, which we
did. Sc far we had succeeded well. but
we had other dangers to encounter and
other picket lines to pass, which could be
passed only under cover yof the darkness.
We knew that small, riyer which was
a tributary to the Neuse was north of us
in the direction that we desired to go,
which river emptied into the Neuse proper
between Newport and Carolina City.
We were now in dense pine and cy-
press forest, and surrounded by gigantic
trees. Our first effort was to cut good,
strong sticks from the smaller growth Of
the gum trees, which mere plentiful
throughout the forest. We could tell by
the sense Of feeling alone gum tree, for
it has a peculiar, sleek bark. When we
had armed ourselves with these sticks we
held a consultation as to what we should
do next, and finally concluded to keep
straight ahead.
We had started on at a pretty rapid
pace when we were brought to a sudden
halt by what appeared to be a company
of men standing in line just ahead of us.
We thought that it was one of the outer
rebel picket lines. We dare not move for
ward, and we were equally determined not
to move backwards, whatever the cost.
Finally the suspense grew so unbearable
that l determined to crawl ahead and
make sure, and persuading the men to lie
close to the earth, l crawled on my hands
and knees toward the line. Once l thought
could distinguish the buttons on the
coats of the rebels, but as l approach
the line the apparition seemed to grow
taller and taller until it shaped itself into
unoffending pine trees with the bark
peeled down. They were evidently trees
from which turpentine had been running.
This is what gave them that singular ap-
pearance in the night.
Only those who have passed through
similar experience can imagine the relief
that overwhelmed me at this knowledge,
and 1 crawled back to my comrades with
the joyful news. We then kept ON straight
ahead through the pine forest, going, as we
hoped, towards the south bank of the
river. We were very hungry, having eaten
nothing since we had taken breakfast with
our command at the upper crossing of the
Sound.
hIteT travelling i UlTectlOn LOT
some time the land appeared to slope
downwards ahead of us. We concluded by
this that we were approaching the river,
and after time we came to where the
trees were shorter and more stunted, and
we thought that we heard the ripping of
water. Again the boys lay down, while
crawled on my hands and knees a little
further ahead, when !! came suddenly up
against a fence. l followed this fence
along until l came to a corner. Here
found road and concluded that l was
near the bank of the river and that this
road was the main road leading up and
down the river on the south side. I was
about to return to the comrades with the
knowledge when heard the barking Of
away, and voice calling the dog, which
voice I recognized at once to be that of a
negro.
l knew that all OF the colored people
were our friends, so 1 whistled.
who's there?" came the challenge.
Friend" cried.
'Friend Of what?'
Friend to anyone worthy Of friend
ship" 1 replied.
Are you Lincoln soldier, marsa?"
eyes"
Come right here, marsa," said the
negro, and hastened back to the waiting
boys. In a few minutes more we were all
safely under the roof of the friendly
negro's cabin, eating fried fish. baked
sweet potatoes and johnny cake, the most
delicious meal that any Of us had ever
partaken of in our lives.
The darlxy told us that he was slave,
and that he had been sent up to this par
ticular bend in the river by the rebel SOL
diers, whose pickets extended across both
sides of the river, about five miles below
us, which, of course, was between us and
our troops.
He told us that it was now near day
light, and he would conduct us up little
farther, around the bend of the river, to a
more secure and out-of-the-way place, and
that we should hide ourselves securely
under the brush and wait there until
night. He said he would go and procure
for us an old boat that had not been in use
for some time, but that lay up there in the
shade Of the pine trees, which boat he
thought was large, enough to. carry. the
nine of us safely down the river. After
satisfying our hunger we started off up
stream until we reached the spot that the
old colored man had told us about, and
which was called "Rattlesnake Bend"
Here we rested the whole day. About
noon the old man sent his little boy to us
with more sweet potatoes and fried fish.
We had learned from the old man all that
we could as to the shape of the river, the
rebel pickets; and what Instructions of
trees and driftwood were along the river
| judged the force Of the current by
throwing little chips into the water, then
walking with them, as l often had done
on board ship in previous years. l con-
Guided that the current was running about
i've miles an hour, and that if l was cor
rect in my judgment we could reach the
rebel picket line in about one hour.
Just before night the old man came
around the bend, keeping closely under
the shade Of the trees, carrying an old
boat that was made out of two cypress
trees dove-tailed together / saw at
glance that with care and skillful handling
the boat would carry US safely down to
Morehead City, IL necessary. He also pro-
cured for us two paddles with which to
propel the boat. The paddles We're nauf-
He'd with old cloth about where they would
strike the sides of the boat, and in han
ding them the cloth would deaden the
sound. Before dark the kind old man re
turned to us with more fried fish and
johnny cake, of which we made a hearty
supper. He cautioned us that just be-
yond the rebel picket line, down stream,
the river for short distance took the
form of lake, and that we must not keep
to either the right or left, but straight
through the center, for we might encoun-
ter rebel pickets stationed along on both
sides of the bend of the river. Then the
old man bade us good-by and God-speed
and returned to his cabin.
We sat down to wait patiently for the
darkness to close around. A light mist be-
gan to rise from the river and settle down
over the land, which added to the darkness
terhf =.