ntention of availing himself of the "good Union man's" hospitality,
Glazier said "good-day," and rejoined his friend. They made the best of
their way along a path, until a turn carried them out of the rebel
officer's sight, then wheeled suddenly round, and ran rapidly for a
considerable distance in the opposite direction to Mr. Brown's.

CHAPTER XXIV.

RECAPTURED BY A CONFEDERATE OUTPOST.

Fugitive slaves.--A rebel planter.--The Big Ebenezer.--A sound of
oars.--A _ruse de guerre_.--Burial of a dead soldier.--A free
ride.--Groping in the dark.--"Who goes there!"--Recaptured.--_Nil
desperandum._--James Brooks.--Contraband of war.--Confederate
murders.--In the saddle again.--A dash for freedom.--Again
captured.--Tried as a spy.

Our hero had been somewhat impressed with the subdued tone and manner of
the Confederate officer with whom he had lately parted. To some extent
he manifested a discouraged and cowed bearing, and this, taken with some
other circumstances in their recent experience, led our friends to hope
that the end was not very remote.

After bidding adieu to the Confederate, they walked about two miles
before discovering a place of concealment in another swamp. Here they
unexpectedly came upon a party of negroes sleeping around a large fire.
They proved to be fugitive slaves, who had abandoned their homes in
Burke County, Georgia, to follow in the rear of Sherman's army. They had
formed part of a body of several hundred persons of all ages and both
sexes, who had escaped and sought refuge upon an island in Big Ebenezer
Creek, and had been inhumanly shelled out by the Confederates. Thence
they had scattered over the country in small bands, and the present
detached party were working their way back to their masters. Captain
Glazier despatched one of them with a haversack in search of some food
among the resident colored people, and the result was so far
satisfactory that our friends were put in possession of a good supply of
sweet potatoes.

After another march, and while still in the swamp, they heard
wood-choppers, and Lemon started to reconnoitre. Guided by the sound of
the axe, he approached a small clearing, and seeing a negro, as he had
expected, wielding the axe, walked forward to him, but was suddenly
startled by observing a burly white man sitting on a log, smoking and
looking on. They eyed each other for a moment in silence, when presently
the planter demanded in a