The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-04-03
copyrighted 1912 by F. A. Hubble.
CHAPTER V.

liS hSlu JOWdTuS lue gin, dJJTdCIluS 3
a small, fierce dog, whose barking
brought from a negro capin nearby,
darkey bent with the toll of slav-
cry.
Come yer, Pinto, come back dar,
| say. What you all maxim dat fuss
bout, dog?" Closer came the dog;
nearer followed the slave.
Say, uncle, come in here. We
want you to befriend u.s."
Who's dar, who's dat?"
Uncle, we are Yankee soldiers,
escaped prisoners of war. We want
you to give us food and information
we need"
No darkey in the land was greater
or prouder than he as he secreted us
in the loft of the gin while he made
preparations to gather from the row
of slave cabins nourishment for our
poor bodies. And at daylight above
that wooley head, poked through the
ladder hole, came a great wash pan
of beans. oh, what a luxury!
Great big beans! How we did eat
those beans. Yes, after so many
months of scarcity we we're filled to
the brim.
We rested secure that day and
when night came he led us to a
spring in a thicket. We washed our
face. Washed, yes and wiped on a
towel-what?-and brushed our long
shaggy hair that had not been cut
for nearly two years. oh, how hap
py for the time being!
This old slave led us a mile away
to a small clearing and he for the
first time informed our party he had
sent out runners through the day
and expected many slaves from the
different plantations to assemble that
we might tell them of the struggle
in their behalf.
Scarcely one of them came, even
to the picanninnies, but had some
sort of food. One had a blanket for
Capt. Meany, owing to his naked
condition.
The moon lit up a scene that Of
ten returns to me in hours of
thought.
Seated in a great circle were all
classes of these bondaged people
who listened to our talk as we ate
from the big white spread before us.
How anxious were these black faces
when Uncle Joe would ask an i'm
portant question.
Two of the women brought a bag,
cut in to and tied ropes for a haver-
sack into which what was left of
our repast, they dumped into them
for our future necessities.
Two young darkies were selected
to guide us a distance of seven
miles on our way as there was a
district some six miles ahead con-
sidered by the black people danger
Gus, through which we would have
to pass, and If we did not follow
the path they had in mind, we would
certainly get into trouble.
After a long round of hand
shakes and many curious yet sin
cere expressions for our success in
reaching our flag, we bade them a
more cheerful farewell, and with
our two guides proceeded on our
journey towards the Northland, the
darkies a good and safe distance
ahead of us, for it would be certain
death to be caught in the company
of a slave.
Nearing an intervening road we
saw our guides drop the two sacks
OF food and take to the brush. In
stantly, according to our custom at
the least alarm, we dropped on our
hands, crawling to the thicket. The
darkies were being pursued by three
mounted patrol The last of the
three stopped, dismounted, and pick
ed up the sacks OF food.
That mountain of food was gone.
No reader can imagine the loss of
this to us. All we had left of that
splendid repast-the most Of the fur
nishings, perhaps stolen from their
masters larder, was the little brown
jug of whiskey which we had not en-
trusted to their care.
Water! water! What shall we
do without 1t? Mile after mile we
travel on but no water.
The night shadows of this next
day are closing on and yet no water
to quench our thirst created strong
er by the burning whiskey from the
little brown jug. All night we walk
ed, slept some, then onward till the
dawn of morn. Oh, how thirsty.
Can we stand it longer? All, the
little drops, OF dew, as the rising sun
warns the branches of the trees,
drop by drop it falls into the in
dented leaves beneath and from one
to a hundred we sip the sweet nee
tar of life.
Hark! 'Tis the sound of other
feet than ours. Yes, they were COM
ing from in front. The twilight was
such we discovered they had no
arms. 1t was too late to run. They
had seen us. The bend in the road
and the jug of whiskey combined,
made us unmindful of our usual eau
tion. Halt" they commanded.
"Who comes there?" Our answer,
Come and see."
No sooner had they discovered by
our condition that we were escaped
prisoners, than we were on to them
hand to hand, fist to fist. We fought
them and for once six Yankees
whipped five Johnies. We fought
them ~ liberty, oh, sweet liberty!
H.. ften wondered If any of
them ever NJ upon their feet again
Eve will draw the screen). 1t was
time in our life that necessity call
ed for uncommon brutality After
we had Travelled far from them, we
were willing and agreed never to
mention the affair again on our trip.
1t caused a deviation from our
straight course, exerting our weak
limbs to extraordinary speed in our
tn Iaaua fhaf hatt1adald far