a visit afore many days," replied the sergeant.

"If you do, you uns 'll git wiped out," added the man.

"Mebbe we shall do the wiping," said Life, as the keeper of the prison
came up to him.

"I reckon I needn't stop here no longer," said he. "But I'll show you a
room before I go, where you can sleep in a bed. It's where I sleep,
though I hain't got no prisoners in the jug just now. There ain't much
civil law afloat around here; and a Secesh man can kill a Union man,
and nothing said about it."

"I'm much obleeged to you; and I consayt that you ain't much of a
Secesh yourself," answered Life, as his conductor unlocked a door near
the entrance to the jail.

"I reckon I ain't," replied the keeper as he led the way into the room
and closed the door after him; "but it don't do for me to say much
about it here. Them fellers you brought in here would hang me to the
first tree they found if they knowed it."

The apartment was not a cell. It contained a bed and some furniture,
and the sergeant thought he could be very comfortable in it till
morning.

"Which way did your troopers come from, Sergeant?" asked the keeper.

"From the west. We left Millersville this morning," answered Life.

"We had a company of Cornfeds in town last night, and they started for
Millersville this mornin'. I reckon you hain't seen nothin' on 'em,
have you?" continued the keeper, as he seated himself on the bed while
the sergeant occupied the only chair in the room.

"Cornfeds is good," laughed Life; "but I cal'late they don't get much
of that sort of feed just now."

"Then I reckon you hain't seen 'em."

"I reckon that we uns have seen 'em; and I reckon them Cornfeds wish
just now that we hadn't seen 'em."

"Did you meet 'em?"

"I'll bet we did, about five miles from here; and about one-third on
'em got killed before they surrendered."

"Surrendered!" exclaimed the keeper. "I thought, when I heerd 'em talk,
that no Cornfeds ever did anything o' that sort."

"They got badly chawed up, and they couldn't help theirselves; that's
the whole on't. Is there any news floatin' about round here?" asked
Life.

"I reckon there is, lots on't. If Thomas ain't already camped round
here somewhere, he ain't fur off. They say he's waiting for some
general's brigade to jine 'im afore he goes for Old Zolly's
entrenchments," replied the keeper, whose name was Butters, as the
sergeant learned from him later.

"I reckon our major will find out where