day was
one of the blackest gloom. We seldom spoke, and when we did, it was to
denounce our folly, in suffering ourselves to be deluded to Richmond
by the lies they had told, and not seizing some of the many
opportunities our journey afforded for making our escape. But it was
no use lamenting; and all we could do was to register a solemn vow
never to be deceived by them again. When night came, we knelt in
prayer to God, and if I ever prayed with fervor, it was in this hour
of disappointment and dread. I tried to roll all my cares upon the
Lord, and partly succeeded, rising from my knees comforted, and
assured that whatever might be the issue, we had one Friend who was
nigh to save, and had often made his children rejoice, in worse
situations than ours. The next morning I awoke again cheerful, and
felt nerved for any fate that might befall me.

Here the routine of prison life did not differ materially from that at
Atlanta. We had to go down to the court (the building was square, and
built with an open court in the center) to wash in the morning, and
were immediately taken back to our stall, and locked up. But the
principal difference was our want of fire. This made it our greatest
difficulty to keep warm, and effectually destroyed all those pleasant
fireside chats that had done so much to make our condition endurable
in the Atlanta barracks.

As the darkness and coldness of night drew on, we were compelled to
pace the floor, trying to keep warm; and when sleep became a
necessity, we would all pile down in a huddle, as pigs sometimes do,
and spread over us the thin protection of our two bits of carpet. Thus
we would lie until too cold to remain longer, and then arise and
resume our walk. We had always plenty of light, except when the
awkwardness of the gas managers left the whole city in darkness, which
was frequently the case.

We never omitted our devotions. For awhile the deserters outside, who
were composed of the very scum of Southern society, many of them
being the rowdies, gamblers, and cutthroats of the large cities, tried
to interrupt us by every means in their power; but finding that their
efforts produced no effect, they finally gave over, and left us to
pursue our own way in peace. We found afterward, when, for a short
time, we were put among them, that they respected us the more for it.
Thus it will always be when perseverance is exercised in a good cause.

A few days after our arrival, we noticed a gre