erts purposely to be made prisoners. If I had
had any doubts on the subject, her conduct would have dissipated them.
She received our captors with open arms. They stepped into our places as
guests, and the house was thrown open to them. Our arms were taken from
us, our hands pinioned, and a scene of festivity ensued. A cask of wine
was brought up from the cellar, and the contents freely distributed
among the rebels, or gray backs, as we call them here.

"Once, as Mrs. Roberts passed through the little room where we were
confined, I said, 'Do you consider this honorable conduct, madam,
to lure us here by false representations, and then betray us to our
enemies?'

"'Yes, I do!' said she hotly. 'What business have you to come down
here and lay waste our territory? There is no true Southern woman but
despises you heartily, and would do as much as I have, and more, too.
You've got my son a prisoner in one of your Yankee prisons. When I heard
that he was taken, I swore to be revenged, and I have kept my word. I've
got ten for one, though he's worth a hundred such as you!'

"So saying, she swept out of the room, with a scornful look of triumph
in her eyes. The next day, as I afterward learned, she sent word to our
colonel that her house had been unexpectedly attacked by a large party
of the rebels, and that we had been taken prisoners. Her complicity was
suspected, but was not proved till our return to the camp. Of course, a
further guard, which she asked for, to divert suspicion, was refused.

"Meanwhile we were carried some twenty miles across the river, and
confined in a building which had formerly been used as a storehouse.

"The place was dark and gloomy. There were some dozen others who shared
our captivity. Here we had rather a doleful time. We were supplied with
food three times a day; but the supply was scanty, and we had meat
but once in two days. We gathered that it was intended to send us to
Richmond; but from day to day there was a delay in doing so. We decided
that our chance of escape would be much better then than after we
reached the rebel capital. We, therefore, formed a plan for defeating
the intentions of our captors.

"Though the building assigned to us as a prison consisted of two
stories, we were confined in the lower part. This was more favorable to
our designs. During the night we busied ourselves in loosening two of
the planks of the flooring, so that we could remove them at any time.
Then lower