arrest, and when I described him he said he was the right
man. I wrote to the President what Henry said, and Alston remained in
prison.

"In a short time I heard from Gen. Anderson. He was willing to go East.
I telegraphed Gen. Silent and he ordered him to report at once. He came
by home on his way and remained over several days. Lieut. Whitcomb was
with him. While there I related all that had taken place. He thought
Henry should return at once to Canada, leaving Seraine with us. He said
it would be dangerous since Alston's arrest to risk writing, so Henry
would have to come to my house with any information that he might have.
Henry left at once and the General the next day.

"We were alone again. The women and children were weeping over the
departure of Henry and the General. Aunt Martha came in and said:

"'Bress de good Laud, chil'n, what is you cryin' 'bout. De Gen! all
right; dars no danger 'bout him; he am safe. De Laud protect him. He dun
sabe him all dis time for good. Don't you see de Sesh git whip whareber
he goes? Dey all done killed down whar he bin, and now dey jest' take
him ober by whar Marsa Linkum am, and de Sesh all git smash up ober dar
de same way as what dey is down whar he bin afore.'

"Old Ham chimed in: 'Yas, Marfa, dat am de fac\ You see, when I goes wid
Marsa Gen'l, he gets shotted nearly ebery time. I not understand dis,
but he not git any time hurt when I's away. How is dat, Marfa? Guess it
best for me not be wid him. I tell you I guess I see it all now; de Laud
want me to stay here wid dese womens and dese chil'ns, and Marsa Gen'l
he not t'ink ob dat, so de Laud jes' let him git hurted, so he hab to
come and stay wid de folks and hab me heah? Is dat it, Marfa?'

"'Yes, dat am de case; and I 'spec you is glad, kase you is a powerful
coward, Ham; you knows you is.'

"'Marfa, you neber see me fightin' dem Sesh. Else you not say dem hard
words 'bout Ham. No, indeed, you not know 'bout me.'

"'I 'specs dat's so, Ham. How many of de Sesh does you 'specs you is
killed?'

"'Don' know, don' know. I neber counted em; war too busy, Marfa.'

"This was getting Ham into a close place, and he retired.

"In a few days Henry returned and reported that the arrest of Alston
had alarmed the conspirators in Canada very greatly. Carey and Page
were still in Richmond. Wilkes had returned to Canada and had been at
Montreal with Thomlinson, but Henry could get nothing out of him, as
Thomlinson thought it