ds ahead, and through the darkness we could
discern the outline of the sentry, and just beyond a dim fire of dying
embers.

"Soldiers!" was the prompt reply to the challenge by Captain Alban. "Have
you got any showance?" (pass.) "Yes, sir," he answered. "Well, come in and
let's see it." Alban was about twenty yards ahead of me, and as I had not
yet spoken, I thought perhaps I might not have been seen, and as he
approached the sentry, I crouched down, preparatory to sliding into the
woods. But the guard saw me, and asked if that was another soldier behind,
and upon being answered in the affirmative, told me to come in too. I said
I didn't think he would allow us both to approach at once; that we never
would at the front allow but one to approach at a time.

"Oh, we've got force enough to take care of both of youans," said he. So
we walked in, and he took us up to the smoldering fire, where six or eight
others were sitting and lying around, and speaking to some one whom he
called Dock, told him to get up and look at our "showance." While Dock was
crawling out, pulling on his boots, and rubbing his eyes, the guard asked
what command we belonged to. We told them that we belonged to the 32d
Georgia. (This was the regiment that was guarding Yankee prisoners at
Columbia.) That we were stationed at Columbia, guarding Yankee prisoners;
that we had just come to Walhalla by the train, and thought we would walk
as far as Tunnel Hill, and stay there all night, and see the Captain,
(giving his name,) who was an old friend of mine, that I had not seen
since the war broke out, and I wanted to have a visit with him. That we
were going to Towns County, Georgia, where my sister (giving a ficticious
name), who was Alban's wife, lived; that I had a sick furlough for thirty
days, and Alban had a pass for ten days, to go and see his wife. We
mentioned two or three names that had been furnished us by Mr. Addis, and
asked if they knew them.

By the time "Dock" was ready to examine our papers, we had got them
thoroughly interested in us, and had so thoroughly impressed upon them the
belief that we were all right, and then I showed them my legs which were
so terribly inflamed, and told them that I was suffering from inflammatory
rheumatism,--which was the nearest the truth of anything that I had yet
told them--and groaned over the excruciating pain I was suffering. When I
had fully impressed them with the truthfulness of my story, I took from
m