Part 13 (2/2)

These conversations are related si difficulties We can figure and calculate all ill in advance, but it almost invariably happens that the details of our plans ed on the scene of action, either to surmount unexpected obstacles or to take the shortest and surest road to success

The best way to dispose of obstacles is to go at them Many and most disappear before you reach them, while those which really have to be surested at the tiiven the ferryman no time to ask questions, even had he been disposed to do so, and I had asked the way to Arkadelphia, learning the direction to take and that the distance was fifty-two miles, on a plain road

As usual, after the river was crossed, Miller was jubilant and happy until he had ti about the next river, which he soon did Ifthe final river as he did about crossing earthly rivers in our travels together it may be that he will have to cross much sooner than he otherould

It must not be understood that my illustrations of Miller's peculiarities are ement of the man We all have our own peculiar traits of character, and it merely happened that this journey developed in Miller sos would have hadmerits He was sily honest that it was ientle, and the very embodiment of honor and conscientiousness, one to whom recapture was certain if lies were necessary to avoid it; this was Miller

CHAPTER XIX

GOOD LUCK AND BAD

We were soon out of the river bottom, and then came the question as to whether we should keep or avoid the road We decided to remain upon it, because of the fact that the ferryman would probably ask the first coht cause questions and suspicions; so we trudged along, in hopes of a successful issue to our caain our friend Miller becaitated When a nearer view developed the fact that the rider was a rebel officer, we had hard work to keep Miller fro entirely unarmed, but he calmed down and behaved nicely as the officer rode up andthat he was a , and passed on in a ave us scarcely a look as he returned our salute and rode by; so Miller had a respite

Having thus met somebody to report us at the ferry,left the road and went into the woods to lay up, taking pains to go a good mile from the road in order to avoid any possible notice

Finding a good, thick top of a felled tree, we sought the seclusion of its branches and indulged in a good sleep

We were awakened along in the afternoon by a crunching sound like that of horses walking on gravel, and, e realized what it was, the horses were so close to us that we fairly hugged the ground and tre for us

The sound passing by, we got out to investigate, and we had not gone fifteen paces through some bushes till we stopped and looked at each other quizzically There was another road, evidently more traveled than the one we had taken such pains to avoid As the joke was on all, we had nothing to say

We were now out of provisions again, and, in prospecting around, we found that the two roads caether a short distance below

The country in our neighborhood was a fars were deserted, the fences down and everything dilapidated We could find nothing to eat, and again took to the road

To sho run down and deserted that section was I state as a fact that we ransacked every stable, corn crib and vacant house in our path that night for a distance of about fifteeneatable But few houses appeared to be inhabited, and these were avoided

Just before daybreak we caers--that is, the small kernels left on the ends of the cobs by horses when they eat Of this we ood meal

A little farther on we came to a corn crib which had in it about 150 bushels of corn, and here we had a feast, building a fire and parching the corn

While ere eatinga cow coiving her soaled ourselves

We now proceeded with little or no trouble,far better time than we had expected to er-board bearing the inscription: ”2-1/2 miles to Arkadelphia”

I had been in this place with our ar before, and it now seemed as if we must soon meet some blue uniforms

We passed on around the town to the Caddo river, which empties into the Washi+ta four miles above Arkadelphia