good deal like being out of the frying-pan into the fire, for
in case we contrived to elude those who were close in the rear, we
must come face to face with a yet larger body of the enemy when we did
our feeble best toward defending the city.

I was getting quite a big taste of warfare, and it was by no means to
my liking, although I had by this time come to understand that I must
not put such ideas into words lest my companions accuse me of showing
the white feather.

We had marched eleven miles with only one halt of fifteen minutes, and
now, instead of going into camp as had been supposed, we were to press
forward, marching night and day, for a distance of at least fourteen
miles; but even though it had been twice as far I would have gone on
with at least a show of cheerfulness, so great was my fear of being
taken prisoner.

We halted at the Wood Yard half an hour, and then were going ahead
once more; but at a less rapid pace, for we could not be expected to
travel many hours at the same speed which had been kept up since
leaving the burning fleet.

We ate as we marched, munching the corn-bread and bacon as best we
might, and falling out of line to get a drink of water whenever we
came to a brook or spring.

At the end of the first hour we were halted for ten minutes, and then
the advance was continued until it seemed to me that I could not put
one foot before the other.

"I suppose I shall hold out as long as the rest of you do; but it
seems as if I'd got to drop down right here," Jerry said to me as we
trudged along side by side on as fatiguing and dispiriting a march as
I have ever known since. "It's better for a fellow to kill himself by
walkin', than be sent back to a prison on board one of the British
ships."

I tried to cheer the dear lad, although I myself was needing
encouragement most woefully, and perhaps I succeeded somewhat by
saying:

"Our fathers would set us down as cowards and drones, if the men went
in with the report that we couldn't travel twenty-five or thirty miles
without knocking under."

"You're right, Amos!" and Jerry stepped out briskly. "We should be
able to do more of this kind of work than Darius, who has spent all
his life aboard ship, an' yet there he is, humpin' along chipper as a
sparrow."

I turned to look at the old man, who was in the rear, marching in good
order, and acting as if on some pleasure excursion which he hoped
would not come to an end too soon. It shamed