uninteresting hole very
carefully, however, I felt that my curiosity had been amply
satisfied--and cheering up the "old man" much to the amusement of the
prisoners, all of whom seemed to be contented with their blankets and a
comparatively warm shelter from the storm--telling one of the men to
give me a "leg up"-- I was pulled up by the jailer--all of the prisoners
assisting and bidding me a most cheerful "good-night". The next morning
after "turning out" the deserters and filling them with a hot breakfast
at the jailer's where Charlton and the rest of the detachment with
myself had spent the night, they opened up with a long and very strange
story-- Peters, the spokesman for the deserters, declared that two
detectives (?) or, as they called themselves--"_constables_"--had
followed them from near Weatherford, on the Bear Creek road, and
arrested them. Instead of being armed as Sergeant Varily had informed
the writer, they (the deserters) had parted with all of their carbines
before reaching W---- for a good round sum. The pseudo detectives,
therefore, found it a comparatively easy matter, with their double
barrel shot guns to persuade the unarmed soldiers to "throw up their
hands"-- They had even started to turn back to Weatherford, when at the
suggestion of one of their number negotiations were opened by which they
were released by the fake constables--but, at the sacrifice of all the
"greenbacks" the entire party possessed-- After this compulsory squeeze,
the detectives (?) and their plucked friends parted company. The writer
resolved, upon his return, to investigate this matter and if the
deserter's story proved true--and they had all corroborated Peters'
statement--to secure the arrest and indictment of these Border Sharks.

The march back was cold and bitter-- We were more than 100 miles from
Fort R---- No handcuffs or irons could be obtained--and it was decided
not to "rope them"-- Thick ice was in all the streams-- Calling Peters,
the most intelligent of the prisoners, to me, the writer laid down the
law: "Peters, I am going to march you to Fort R---- and I want no
trouble; tell the men they shall be well fed and they shall have shelter
whenever it is possible to obtain it-- Corporal Charlton will be placed
in direct charge of you--'fall in'--the men in the middle of the road in
column of twos"-- Then turning to the men--so that all could hear me--I
added: "You men must keep the middle of the road and obey all ord