Part 8 (1/2)
When ere nized by many in the enclosure, and were hailed by shouts, jeers, sarcastic questionings and all sorts of welcos up North? How did you leave the folks? Got any mail?
Can't you stay awhile?” and many other similar queries were fairly showered upon us
When we finally entered the enclosure the croas drawn up in line, like a lot of hacke city, and, ahter and many jokes, ere hailed with:
”This way to the Palace Hotel!” ”Have a cab?” ”Cab or carriage, gents?”
”_This_ way, gents, to the Ebbitt House, the best in the city!”
Our own ed us off to our old quarters, where ere plied with question after question, and had to relate all our experiences in detail
We now took up the stockade life once more, and there was but little variation in its routine
CHAPTER XIII
INCIDENTS, AND ANOTHER ESCAPE
I soon became a stockholder in a tunnel enterprise which was prosecuted vigorously and gave many hopes of success We started the tunnel inside of an old cabin, using various expedients to conceal the work and get rid of the dirt, all of which were successful A survey was made to locate the exit in a clump of bushes quite a distance from the stockade, and all was ready for the final move Quite a nuer of discovery, that of being ”peached” upon by someone on the inside as more anxious to curry favor with our captors than to be true to his coht set for the escape should have been dark, according to calculation, but it turned out to be a clear, starlight night, and soer spirits prevailed, and the attehborhood of the cabin, and the leaders, who had been chosen beforehand, went into the tunnel, followed closely by many others
A sentinel paced his beat about fifty yards from the clump of bushes in which our tunnel was to co of ho for his relief, he was suddenly startled by the sight of several dark for apparently from the bowels of the earth The tunnel had been ed several feet from the bushes, in full view of the sentry He was so astounded that he stood stock still for severalwhich time about fifty men had climbed out of the tunnel and made a streak for liberty
Suddenly the sentry cauard, and ran to the mouth of the tunnel, with his bayonet ready for action
Those who had not entered the tunnel concluded that they did not want to escape that night, and we returned to our quarters in the stockade
Over fifty got out and away, but the guards put the dogs after theht back in the course of a few days
Thefeature of this abortive attempt to escape occurred at the exit of the tunnel after it was blockaded by the sentinel
The narrow passage was full of ress, and those inside could not turn back, while none save the leader knew the cause of the halt The rest were kept in ignorance and suspense until the guards, who quickly gathered around on the outside, had coun to peruards would call out, ”Next!”
and let another unfortunate creep out, only to find himself still a prisoner, the re, even while the situation had its pathetic aspect
A day or two after this event one of the officers, a captain in another regiet a pair of pants His oere a sight to behold, and I told him that I had a spare pair hich I did not wish to part, but that I hated to see hiht He at once offeredvalue if he ever got back home I told him that they would be too sathered, as the ss were of interest to the prisoners, and when I thought he was sufficiently eager for the trade, I went into our cabin and brought out the pair given to me by the woman whom I had asked for patches while on my return to the stockade When the pants were produced, and it was seen that they were intended for a shter went up froht all the other prisoners in the stockade to see what it ry at first, but he quickly put his ill-humor aside and joined in the merriment It is needless to say that the trade was declared off
A few days later about thirty uard, known as Sweet's men, deserted, and there was trouble in the rebel cas I ever saw This portion of the guard was a cavalry detachuard on horseback, about 9 o'clock in the , when, apparently by conal, and all raised their hats politely, saying, ”Good-bye, gentle to Mexico,” and rode off No one dared to follow, as they ell aruard relieved It was said that these men had been sent to this distant duty on account of doubts as to their loyalty to the Confederacy
We changed our quarters to a deserted cabin nearer to the gate, and were therebymade because it now seemed certain that ere destined to re, unless we should be able to effect an escape
Al, and we had been informed that a lot had been shi+pped to us, but that it was delayed so, and when at last we heard that it had arrived ere joyous until ere infor for only three-fourths of the men As some men needed shi+rts, some coats and some pants this promised to be quite a problem to solve, and all the officers were instructed to find out the needs of their men, so as to simplify the matter as much as possible