reported for duty.

"How are you, Yank?" said the sergeant, laughing immoderately at the
misfortune of his victim.

"That's the smallest hole I ever attempted to crawl through," replied
Somers, puffing and blowing from the violence of his exertions in
releasing himself from his narrow prison-house.

"How came you in such a place?" asked the sergeant as they walked up the
stairs.

"Well, my friend, the farmer here, suggested the idea to me. He said his
son had crawled in there a great many times."

"I?" exclaimed Rigney. "I never said a word about the drean."

"You must be looked after," added the sergeant, with a menacing look at
the discomfited farmer. "You have concealed a deserter in your house for
weeks; and now we find that you hide Yankees too."

"I didn't hide him!" protested Rigney.

"Didn't you agree to keep me here till night?" asked Somers, who despised
him beyond expression.

"If I did, it was only to have the soldiers ketch yer."

The sergeant declared that Rigney was a traitor, and that he must go
along with him; but Somers, with more magnanimity than many men would
have exercised towards such a faithless wretch, told the whole story
exactly as it was, thus relieving him of a portion of his infidelity to
the Southern Confederacy; and the sergeant was graciously pleased to let
him remain at home, while his victim was marched off to the rebel camp.

CHAPTER XXVI

A NIGHT IN PETERSBURG

The sergeant who had captured our hero seemed to be a very clever fellow,
and appreciated the sterling merits of his captive. While he was rigidly
devoted to the discharge of his duty, he treated his prisoner with all
the consideration which one human being has the right to expect of
another, whatever the circumstances under which they meet.

Somers was disgusted with the result of the adventure, even while he had
no reason to blame himself for any want of care or skill in conducting
his affairs under the trying circumstances. He was only a few hours
behind his late companion, Captain de Banyan; whom he had now a
reasonable expectation of meeting again before the close of the day.

If Somers was disgusted with the issue of the adventure, he did not yet
despair of effecting his escape. This was all he had to live for at
present; and he was determined not to lose sight of this great object of
existence. Libby Prison was a flourishing institution, even at the time
of which we write; and he was determined