ncing against him from this
side being too strong to be resisted. But I think that this is no
disadvantage to you, for it would have been far more difficult to pass
the Federals and get to Florence than to make for some point on the
river as far as possible from the contending armies."

"We talked that over the last time you were here, doctor, and you know
we agreed it was better to run the risk of falling into the hands of the
Yankee troops than into those of one of those partisan bands whose
exploits are always performed at a distance from the army. However, if
Hood has retreated across the Tennessee, there is an end of that plan,
and we must take some other route. Which do you advise?"

"The Yankees will be strong all around the great bend of the river to
the west of Florence and along the line to the east, which would, of
course, be your direct way. The passage, however, is your real
difficulty, and I should say that, instead of going in that direction,
you had better bear nearly due south. There is a road from Mount
Pleasant that strikes into the main road from Columbia up to Camden. You
can cross the river at that point without any question or suspicion, as
you would be merely traveling to the west of the State. Once across you
could work directly south, crossing into the State of Mississippi, and
from there take the cars through Alabama to Georgia.

"It seems a roundabout way, but I think you would find it far the
safest, for there are no armies operating upon that line. The
population, at any rate as you get south, are for us, and there are, so
far as I have heard, very few of these bushwhacking bands about, either
on one side or the other. The difficult part of the journey is that up
to Camden, but as you will be going away from the seat of war instead of
toward it, there will be little risk of being questioned."

"I had thought of buying a horse and cart," Vincent said. "Jogging along
a road like that, we should attract no attention. I gave up the idea
because our funds were not sufficient, but, thanks to your kindness, we
might manage now to pick up something of the sort."

The doctor was silent for a minute.

"If you will send Dan over to me to-morrow afternoon, I will see what
can be done," he said. "It would certainly be the safest plan by far;
but I must think it over. You will not leave before that, will you?"

"Certainly not, doctor. In any case we should have stayed another day to
get a few more