did not think it
necessary to watch us very closely. This we thought would be a good chance
to escape. It was agreed between us that Captains Cady, Hock and Eastmond
and Lieut. Masters should jump from the car, which was running only about
ten or twelve miles an hour, and I was to go on to Columbia with our
baggage, of which we had considerable, so that in case of recapture, they
would not lose all of this, to us, valuable property, but would again be
in condition to commence housekeeping. Cady and Masters sat in the door
with their legs hanging out, and I sat beside the guard, and after dark
got into conversation with him. I had a pine stick which I was whittling,
and as he would frequently bring his gun to an order beside me, I managed
to remove the cap from his gun, and insert this pine stick into the tube.

This I communicated to my comrades. I then went back, and, standing
alongside of this verdant reb, soon had him in good humor by getting off
some funny yarns, joking, laughing and keeping him amused by swapping lies
with him, until he thought I was one of the jolliest Yanks he had ever
seen. And I did feel jolly, for I had a dead sure thing on _him_. We
finally got on such friendly terms that he asked me to hold his gun while
he took off his shoe to see what in h--l it was hurt his foot so; some dog
gone thing was pestering him awfully; he reckoned it was a dog gone peg
sticking up thar. Now was their time, and if I only had his belt
containing the caps and cartridges, it would have been my time, too. We
were passing through a swampy piece of woods, and none of us knew how deep
it was or how far to high ground; but Capt. Cady and Lieut. Masters took
in the situation and jumped. To show myself worthy of the confidence he
had reposed in me, I snapped the old musket, but that only served to drive
the pine plug more securely into the tube, and by the time he had put on a
new cap they were out of range, even if the gun had been discharged. He
exploded the cap, however, in the direction of the fugitives, and then
relieved himself by cursing the d--n old gun; but my zeal was duly
recognized, and our friendship was more firmly cemented than ever, as I
was so mad to think they would play such a scurvy trick, especially while
I was on guard. It was not long before the frequent report of arms told us
that others were making a "jump for life and liberty."

About one hundred and fifty jumped from the cars and escaped into the