o
Savory, that I remained awake, and at about midnight Jim announced that
he had succeeded in prying off a piece of the breast, so we speared
the hen out of the water, laid it on the frame of a grindstone in the
gin-house, and sat down to the festive board. "Will you have the light
or the dark meat," asked Jim, with a politeness that would have done
credit to a dancing-master. I told, him I preferred the dark meat, so he
took hold of one leg and I the other, and we pulled the hen apart. The
hen seemed to be copper-rivetted, for when I got a chunk of it down, and
it chinked up a vacant place in the stomach, it did seem as though there
was nothing like hen to save life. We eat sparingly that night, because
we were weak, and the hen was strong, and we laid down and slept
peacefully, and awoke in the morning hungry. When the hen became cold,
in the morning it _was_ tough. "Will you have some of the cold chicken,"
said Jim, and I told him I would try a little. It was better than India
rubber, and we made a breakfast and started on. It was Sunday. As we
came out to the main road, we saw people dressed up, that is, with clean
shirts. As ten o clock approached we could see colored people and white,
wending their way to a little church in the pine woods. We kept out
of sight, and waited, several parties passed us on horseback, some in
carriages, and many on foot. Presently three soldiers of our scattered
party came along carrying saddles, and we called them into the woods,
where we were. I unfolded to them my scheme, which was to surround that
church, hold the worshippers as prisoners inside, while we stole the
horses that would be hitched to the fence. Jim kicked on it. He said he
had rather walk than to interfere with people who were enjoying their
religion. He said he was never very pious himself, but his parents were,
and he should always hate himself if he helped to raid that church. The
other fellows were for going for the horses. Pretty soon four more
of our boys came along, and we called them in. They had got on to the
church services, and had their eyes on the horses. That made nine of
us, and as we were armed, we believed we could capture those old men and
women and negroes, and get the horses.

Being a brevet officer I was placed in command of the party, and a plan
was agreed upon. We were to scatter and surround the church, and ask the
people outside to step inside, and then lock the door, and place a guard
on three