will only
permit us to take what we can carry with us. The rest of the property
must go to enrich him and his brother. Oh, they are a nice pair, but ma
foi! what can one expect of Yankees?"

Jeanne made no reply, but followed her to her own room where Snowball was
waiting to dress her.

"Mus' you go, lill' missy?" whispered the girl as Madame left them for the
moment alone. "I'se 'feerd foh yer ter go."

"Are you going too, Snowball?"

"Missus say I is, an', ob couhse, I long ter huh I'se got ter ef she say
so. But I done want ter."

An hour later Mr. and Madame Vance, Jeanne, Feliciane, Snowball and Jeff
left the city in company with a number of others. General Butler, wearied
with the intrigues of these avowed enemies of the government, had ordered
that they should leave his lines for the Confederacy, and imposed the
condition that they should not return.

In all the throng that waited to see the Confederates depart Jeanne saw
no sign of the General. There were plenty of aids and members of his
staff who looked closely after the articles carried away by the departing
people, but of the General himself she saw nothing. And so the girl was
allowed to depart with the refugees without a word from the Unionists.
Blinded by her desire to get home, she left freedom and the protection
of the flag and went without question into the heart of Secessia.

CHAPTER XVII

AGAIN DECEIVED

The party of Secessionists of which Mr. and Madame Vance were members
embarked on board the boat, Ceres, which steamed up the narrow winding
river, Tangipaho, to Manchac bridge, the terminus of a railroad that
led to Ponchatoula ten miles distant from which was the headquarters of
General Thompson; the main body of Confederates being nine miles further
on.

The shores of the river presented to view nothing but desolation. Many of
the houses were deserted and every garden and field lay waste. Gaunt,
yellow, silent figures stood looking at the disembarking refugees, images
of despair. The people there had been small farmers, market gardeners,
fishermen and shell diggers; all of them absolutely dependent upon the
market of New Orleans from which they had been cut off for more than five
months. Roving bands of Guerillas and the march of the regiments had
robbed them of the last pig, the last chicken, the last egg and even
of their half grown vegetables. In all that region there was nothing
to eat but corn on the cob, and of that onl