"It was pretty hard work I kin tell you, strong as Jim was, an' we'd
have to stop an' rest putty ofen; an' den, Jim an' I, we'd tote him
atween us on some boughs; an' den we had to lie by, some days, all
day,--an' we trabbled putty slow, cause we'd lost our bearing an' was in
a secesh country, we knowed,--an' we had nudin but berries an' sich to
eat, an' got nigh starved.
"One night we cum onto half a dozen fellows skulkin' in de woods, an' at
fust dey made fight, but d'rectly dey know'd we was friends, fur dey was
some more Linkum sojers, an' dey'd lost dere way, or ruther, dey know'd
where dey was, but dey didn't know how to git way from dere. Dey was
'scaped pris'ners, dey told us; when I yearde where 'twas I know'd de
way to de coast, an' said I'd show 'em de way if dey'd cum long wid us,
so dey did; an' we got 'long all right till we got to de ribber up by
Mass' Rhett's place."
"Yes, I know where it is," said the Captain.
"Den what to do was de puzzle. De country was all full ob secesh
pickets, an' dere was de ribber, an' we had no boat,--so Jim, he says,
'I know what to do; fust I'll hide you yere,' an' he did all safe in de
woods; 'an' den I'll git ye suthin to eat from de niggers round,' an' he
did dat too, do he couldn't git much, for fear he'd be seen; an' den we,
he and I, made some ropes out ob de tall grass like dat we'd ofen made
fur mats, an' tied dem together wid some oder grass, an' stuck a board
in, an' den made fur de Yankee camp, an' yere we is.
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