Page 155 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war
P. 155

worth  at  least  three  hundred  dollars,  and  they  would  have  a
                         nice  sum  from  him  when  they  sold  him.      It  was  suggested

                         that  they  should  play  cards  for  him,  and  whichever  one
                         should  win  should  have  the  whole  of  him*  This  was  agreed
                         lo,  and  they  soon  arranged  themselves  and  began  to  play
                         cards  in  the  moonlight.
                             lack  could  now  make  out  his  horse  standing  tied  near  the
                         cabin  on  the  outside  of  the  others,    He  could  see  in  the

                         moonlight that  he  was  tied  with  a  rope.     He  crept  back  to
                         Jake,  and  together  they  went  further down  into  the woods to
                         consult.   Jack  had  apian  which  he unfolded to  Jake, but jake
                         was  obdurate.    “ Nor.  sah,  he  warn’  gwirte  fmong  dem  Yan­

                         kees;  Yankees  ketch  him  and  shoot  him.  He  was  gwine
                         home,    Mammy3 d  whup  him  if  hedidn';  she  [nought  whup
                         him  anyway,"  jack  pleaded  and  promised,  but  it  was  vise-
                         less,  He explained  to Jake  that  theycouJd  ride  home  quicker
                         than  they  could  walk,   it  was  of  no avail,   Jake  recalled  that
                         there  was  a  Yankee  picket  near  the  bridge,  and  that  was  the

                         only  place  a  horse  could  cross  since  the  ford  was stopped  up.
                         Finally  Jack  had  to  let  Jake  go.
                             He  told  him  not  to  say  anything  at home  as  to  where  he
                         was,  which  jake  promised,  and  jack  helped  him  across  the

                         poles  at  the  tree,  and  then  went  back  alone  to  the  clearing.
                         He  crept  up  as  before.    The  men  were  still  playing  cards,
                         and  he  could hear  them  swearing  and  laughing  over  their  ill
                         or  good  luck.   One  of them  looked  at  his  watch,    The  relief
                         would  be  along in  twenty  minutes,      Jack's  heart  beat.    He

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