ious about the
mysterious train, manned by strangers, which had arrived on the time of
the morning mail. For an hour and five minutes from the time of arrival
at Kingston we remained in this most critical position. The sixteen of
us who were shut up tightly in a box-car,--personating Beauregard's
ammunition,--hearing sounds outside, but unable to distinguish words,
had perhaps the most trying position. Andrews sent us, by one of the
engineers, a cautious warning to be ready to fight in case the
uneasiness of the crowd around led them to make any investigation,
while he himself kept near the station to prevent the sending off of any
alarming telegram. So intolerable was our suspense, that the order for a
deadly conflict would have been felt as a relief. But the assurance of
Andrews quieted the crowd until the whistle of the expected train from
the north was heard; then as it glided up to the depot, past the end of
our side-track, we were off without more words.

But unexpected danger had arisen behind us. Out of the panic at Big
Shanty two men emerged, determined, if possible, to foil the unknown
captors of their train. There was no telegraph station, and no
locomotive at hand with which to follow; but the conductor of the train,
W.A. Fuller, and Anthony Murphy, foreman of the Atlanta railway
machine-shops, who happened to be on board of Fuller's train, started on
foot after us as hard as they could run. Finding a hand-car they mounted
it and pushed forward till they neared Etowah, where they ran on the
break we had made in the road, and were precipitated down the embankment
into the ditch. Continuing with more caution, they reached Etowah and
found the "Yonah," which was at once pressed into service, loaded with
soldiers who were at hand, and hurried with flying wheels toward
Kingston. Fuller prepared to fight at that point, for he knew of the
tangle of extra trains, and of the lateness of the regular trains, and
did not think we should be able to pass. We had been gone only four
minutes when he arrived and found himself stopped by three long, heavy
trains of cars, headed in the wrong direction. To move them out of the
way so as to pass would cause a delay he was little inclined to
afford--would, indeed, have almost certainly given us the victory. So,
abandoning his engine, he with Murphy ran across to the Rome train, and,
uncoupling the engine and one car, pushed forward with about forty armed
men. As the Rome branch c