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' in Libby or
THE WAR LIBRARY.
5
Just below us the river made a bend, so
thatits bank was in full view.
lainly see the tongue of high
land over which we were galloping. Beyond
where the river commenced to turn this
tongue of land gradually lowered until it
was lost in the swamp, which at this point
seemed to comingle with the water of the
ver,
That ended it.
Further tlight was useless, seeing that in a
few minutes we should be brought to bay,
having no solid ground upon which our
horses could planta hoof in order to con-
tinue the flight.
Visions of Libby prison now began to float
before our minds.
We who had so lately helped to alarm
Richmond, were now on the eve of entering
the hated city as captives, to join the throng
elle Isle.
No wonder we shut our teeth hard and
looked each other in the face.
What was to be done? .
The brave lieutenant of the First Maine
cast a sweeping glance around him.
That hej was puzzled for the nonce could
be plainly seen by the expression upon his
fac
Toattempt toswim theriver with or with-
out our horses was a piece of business bor-
dering on madness, for the chances were
against us.
Even granting that half of us survived the
swim, of what avail would it be, for half
dead and without steeds we must falla
speedy prey to the militia who had demand-
our surrender at Ayletts,a portion of
whom at least, we knew were descending
the stream on the other bank.
That was out of the question.
Estes turned his back on the river with
Clinched teeth, for he realized the only al-
ternative.
“Boys, there is but one course open to
3.”
ee.
“And that?’ weasked, with bated breath,
for although the most of us had already
guessed it, we had a faint hope that our
cader might have struck upon something
else.
“We must take to the swamp.”
We knew what that meant.
The noble steeds that had heroically car-
ried us, must now be deserted, and we trust
ourselves on the morass.
No time was to be lost.
While we were thus halting and deliberat-
ing, the pursuers must be rapidly covering
the distance that separated us from them,
though just at that moment they were con-
cealed from our sight because of a slight
elevation, over which we had just passed.
Quickly we dismounted.
Arming ourselves with the revolvers from
our holsters, we gave our horses the whip,
watching them vanish toward the end of the
tongue of land, and thenentered the swamp.
There was one old fellow among our num-
ber who had seen much of swamp life,
Taking his advice we had sent our horses
down toward the point of land, and now,
pursuing his peculiar tactics further, he had
us pass in single file along a fallen tree.
Thus we entered the swamp without hav-
ing left a trail of any kind behind us,
We now began to comprehend what the
plan of our old comrade was.
He believed the pursuing cavalrymen
would chase on down to the end of the
tongue of land, and finding our horses there
would believe we had either plunged into
theswamp at that place or else attempted to
swim across the swollen tide.
While they were pursuing their investiga-
tions at this point, the old swamp man
hoped that we could retrace our way along
the tongue of land until we reached the bor-
der of the swamp, which we could skirt,
and by hiding await our opportunity of re-
placing our lost steeds with horses from the
arn of some Confederate.
This was our idea.
Whether we could have success or not
depended upon the disposition of the ene-
my’s forces.
Entering the swamp we crouched in the
gloom waiting.
In a very few minutes we heard the heavy
trampling of horses’ hoofs, and knew that
our foes were speeding past.
Waiting until they were all past, our
swamp man went tothe tongue of land to
take an observation.
If the coast was clear he was to uttera
signal. .
We listened eagerly but no signal greeted
our ears.
This bespoke the very worst, and our hopes,
but recently raised by the partial success of
our scheme, fell again.
Soon the man came back again. .
Before he said a word we knew that be-
cause of something he had not expected, his
scheme had proven a failure.
“Hark!” he said, raising his hand.
Then there came n sound to our ears that
caused a cold shudder to pass through our
frames.
It was a long-drawn bay, blood-curdling
in itself, but suggestive of things still more
terrible.
“My God! bloodhounds!” cried the lieu-
tenant.
“They are bound to get us, sir. There is a
second party coming down the neck with
hounds,” said the man who was conducting
the idea.
There was keen bitterness in his voice, as
though he little relished having his choicest
plans broken up by Fate.
“Then we must retreat into the swamp.
Ifit comes to the worst I will submit the
question to you, whether we will surrender
and go to Libby or fight as long as life re-
mains.””
We saw that this was the only thing left
to us, and without a word we acquiesced.
Deeper into the swamp we plunged.
It was a noisome place at the best, marshy,
and with rank weeds and moss.
Now and then there would bea splutter
ahead of us, and some ugly reptile would
glide by, hissing venomously at the intruders
of its domain.
Pools of water lay all around us.
A dozen times we essayed to follow what
appeared to be a path, only to find that it
lead toa bed of mire, to enter which was
tempting Providence, as the chances were
against our ever leaving it.
Under such circumstances, the only thing
we could do was to turn about and retrace
our steps a short distance, trying it from
the common center in some other direc-
tion.
In this way we managed to lose much
time and by the increasing clearness of the
bloodhounds’ baying we knew to a certainty
that our enemies were overtaking us by de-
grees.
Each man was reflecting over the proposi-
tion of the lieutenant.
Should we surrender when brought to
bay, and go to Richmond, humiliated after
our late dashing exploit, or die in the last
ditch?
For myself, 1 was ready to do whatever
the others intended should be_their plan of
action, for, being an outsider, I did not feel
it incumbent upon me to influence their de-
cision.
If they decided to fight I would be found
inthe front of the affair, ready to do my
share in the matter.
On the other hand, should they deem it
best to surrender, [ believed, not being un-
der orders, that I had full liberty to escape
as best I might. ,
Such being the case, I kept my eyes about
me, ready for any emergency.
Nearer came the hounds. .
One thing we had no reason to fear, and
this was an attack from the hounds,
We could tell from the irritating nature
et their baying that they were held in the
eash.
There was but one reason for this.
The militia knew full well that if the ani-
mals were allowed to go free, they would
outstrip them and come up with us long be-
fore they could do 80.
The result would be that we would slay
the dogs at any cost, and might then be able
to give their masters the slip before they
could procure others.
Here was where they showed their wis-
dom and not their clemency.
“ Bovs, which shallit be?”
The lieutenant thus put the question to his
men, allowing their will to be law.
Four of them out of the ten declared for
war, but the rest were for surrender.
No one could blame them for this.
There was no chance to escape on any side,
and if taken prisoners there was a possibility
of their being rescued by Kilpatrick and his
men, or exchanged as prisoners of war.
Isaw the game was up.
“Lieutenant, good-by. I am not one of
you, and I iutend making an effort to escape.
IfI get away I shall report your fate at
headquarters, If you reach the camp event-
ually and I do not turn up, make your mind
easy. Iwill bein Libby or else dead.”
These were not very consoling remarks,
but they came from my heart.
At that moment I was not in a very cheer-
ful mood, to say the least.
Hurriedly I clasped the hand of each of
my. brave comrades.
he hounds and their masters were now
flose at hand, and not a moment was to be
ost.
“TfI thought you had a ghost of a chance
to escape, Richards, I would be with you
with all who would follow, but I believe the
gameisup. Go, and God bless you, my dear
fellow.”
With that I was off.
_{ have said before that I had already de-
cided upon my plan of action in just sucha
case, should the cavalrymen decide to give
n.
I immediately stepped into a pool of
water, walked its entire length, and from
that jumped to a second and so on, leaving
no trail for the hounds to follow.
Just as I was disappearing from sight I
turned and waved my hand to the lieuten-
ant.
I saw by the expression on his face that he
had changed his ideas in regard to my plan
and was tempted to try it.
Afterward I learned from his own lips
that this was his thought, but the enemy
was now close at hand, and had they made
the attempt there was a strong probability
that the Johnny Rebs would have sighted
them ere they had reached the shelter of the
ushes, .
Rather than risk my safety, because the
idea was wholly my own, he refrained from
attempting it, and in afew minutes himself
and comrades were in the midst of a large
party of the militia.
Iwould say just here, in order that the
reader may not think it strange, that I kept
this a seeres from my comrades when we
might have long before given the hounds
the slip, but the fact is, that up to that time
there had been no opportunity to try it, as
the pools of water were so far apart.
Nothing would have pleased me better
than to have been the means of effecting the
escape of my comrades from the scrape into
which stress of circumstances had thrown
them.
Even when I attempted it myself I knew
not what the chances of escape were.
Every pool I leaped into I feared might be
far removed from another, and thus necessi-
tate my entering upon dry land, and thus
leave a trail which might be discovered by
the keen-sceuted hounds.
I knew full well that water left no trail,
and that if one but followed the course of a
stream, walkingin the water, the keenest-
scented dog that ever lived could not follow
the trail unless a foolish move was made in
leaving the stream close by.
Fortunately I had completely vanished ere
the militia came in sight of the little squad
of Federal cavalrymen.
The lieutenant hela up a white handker-
chief as the rebels came in sight, and there
arosea yellof triumph which plainly reached
my earsand told me that the last act but
one in the drama was now complete.
That last act would doubtless be Libby
prison, from which they would not soon
escape.
This was what I thought, remember.
Finding that [ was not pursued, I sought a
secluded spot to rest and listen.
The cries of the exultant militia grew
fainter, and I knew they were returning
along the tongue of laud with their pris-
oners.
Just at that moment I believed myself the
lucky one of the dozen.
My friends were bound for Richmond, not
as dashing raiders, striking terror to the
hearts of the inhabitants, but as prisoners of
war, while I was comparatively free.
Had I known what was to happen within
the next twenty-four hours I should have
gone and given myself up to the militia; but
“where ignorance is bliss ’tis folly to be
wise,’”’ they say.
All through my subsequent adventures,
when in the worst of straits, I seemed to de-
rive some solid satisfaction in the thought
that however bad my situation was, it cer-
tainly must be preferable to that of my
comrades, languishing in that hole of in-
iquity, Libby.
The truth of the matter was quite differ-
ent.
While I was enduring all the hardships
that could possibly come to a Unionist adrift
in the heart of rebeldom, Lieutenant Estes
and his men were safe in their quarters, first
at Gloucester Point and subsequently with
Hooker's army.
They were sent off underastrong guard
toward Richmond, but before reaching the
Mattapony they were suddenly pounced
upon by Kilpatrick, who set them free, and