ealize the situation
better than the rest, said, "That is all right, Mr. Yankee. I would
do the same thing, under the circumstances, if I was in your country,
horseless and hungry." There were some murmurs of dissatisfaction, some
smiled at the situation, and we mounted and rode away. Before we were
out of sight the whole congregation was out of the church, under the
pine trees, taking an account of stock, or lost stock, and no doubt
saying hard things of the Yankees. We traveled all day and nearly all
night, picked up some of our dismounted men, and arrived in Montgomery
the next day before noon. In a few days my one-armed confederate
soldier, who was home from the army in Virginia, having been discharged
for disability, came to Montgomery with the people who had lost their
horses at the church, and I had the satisfaction of seeing many of them
either receive their animals back, or vouchers from the quartermaster,
by which they got pay from the government for the animals. And I
entertained the one-armed confederate for two days, and we became great
friends. Two years ago I met him in Georgia, grown gray, and found him
connected with a Georgia railroad, and we had a great laugh over my
capture of the congregation.

CHAPTER XXII.

The Spotted Horse--His Shameful Behaviour at a Funeral--I
was Tempted to Have My Horse Shot--But I Traded Him to the
Chaplain.

It seemed to me that my luck was the worst of any man's in the army, and
I was constantly getting into situations that caused, my conduct to
be talked about. When we raided the church, mentioned last week, for
horses, I saw a nice white horse with red spots on him, with a saddle,
and being the commander of the squad of horse-thieves, it was no more
than right for me to take my choice first, so I chose the spotted horse,
and thought I had the showiest horse in the army. The animal was a sort
of Arabian, and before I had rode him a mile I was in love with him.
then I got to Montgomery a man told me that horse used to belong to a
circus that closed up there the first year of the war, and was sold to
a planter. He said the horse was considered one of the finest ever seen
in the South. I felt much elated over my capture, and refused several
offers to trade. I thought no horse was too good for me, and for two or
three days I did nothing but feed and groom my spotted horse, until his
coat shone like satin, and he felt so kitteny that I was almost afrai