llets?"

"I don't think she has," said the colonel. "But we have to take some
chances, you know. Now go right along. Treat her like a lady, disbelieve
everything she says and insist on searching her. The general says she
wears an enormous bustle, and probably that is full of quinine. Use your
judgement, but get it all. Pretend to be an ignorant sort of a corporal
who feels that the success of the war depends on him, act as though you
outranked the general, and tell her you would not let her pass with that
quinine if the general himself was present. Just display plenty gall
and when you have go the quinine, bring the girl here, and I will abuse
you, and you take it like a little man, and all will be well. If she
bites and scratches, some of you will have to hold her, but the best
way will be to argue with her, and persuade her by honied words, to come
down with the quinine. Go!"

"One word, colonel, before I go," I said. "About how many men should you
think it would take to hold this woman? You suggested three, but if one
holds her horse, it seems to me, from my knowledge of female kicking,
biting and scratching, that I would need one man for each arm and foot,
one to hold her head and choke her, if necessary, and one with a roving
commission to work around where he would be apt to make himself useful.
What do you say if I take five men!"

"All right, take six," said the colonel. "One may be disabled, or have
his jaw kicked off, or something. But don't detail anybody to search
her. Do that yourself, and do it like a gentleman. And above all things,
do not let her kanoodle you with soft words and looks of love, because
she is full of em. If she can't scare you, with her indignation at the
outrage of arresting and searching her, she will try to capture you and
make you love her. You must be as firm as adamant. Now hurry up."

I picked out six men, four of whom were young Americans, rather
handsome, and very polite, regular mashers.

Then I had an Irishman named Duffy, and a German named Holzmeyer, who
was a butcher. We went out on the road, to the school house, and I put
the Irishman on picket, and instructed the German about taking the horse
by the bridle at the proper time. Then the rest of us got behind the
school house and waited. For two hours we waited, and I had a chance to
think over the situation. Here I was, putting down the rebellion, laying
for a woman, who was loaded. At home, I was a polite man, and full