g, when the rays of the setting sun, glowing from
the west, streamed over the grass and wheatfields on their path, and
poured in mellowed, yellow radiance, through our car-window. But even
then the glories of earth and sky could not make me forget that I was
still chained to my companion, and surrounded by guards with gleaming
bayonets.

The wild excitement caused by our raid had not subsided in the least,
and as it became known that we were passing along the road, a mob
greeted us at every station. It is not necessary to again describe
these mobs, for all are alike, and one description answers for many.
They were, as usual, rude, loquacious, and insulting.

When we arrived in Atlanta, which was in the morning, there was no
jail-room for us; but before going further, we were obliged to wait
for the evening train. When it became known in the city that we were
there, a mob instantly collected, and prepared to hang us. They were
prevented by our guard, probably on the principle that a mouse is
protected by a kitten--that it may have the pleasure of first playing
with it, and afterwards killing it itself. During the progress of the
strife between those who wanted to hang us and those who wanted the
law to take its course, several persons were severely injured. But
while the disturbance was in progress, one man succeeded in reaching
the car window unnoticed, and handed us a paper, using only the single
but magical word--"a friend"--and then was lost in the throng. We read
the paper by snatches as the attention of the guard was directed to
other objects, and found it to contain glorious news--nothing less
than _the capture of New Orleans by our fleet_! Need I say that, for
the time, all thought of private misfortune was lost in the
exhilaration of national triumph?

The cause of secession then looked gloomy. I took particular pains to
talk with the officer in charge of us, and other intelligent rebels,
about their prospects, and found them discouraged. Our captain would
not let us have any newspapers, or _knowingly_ give us any
information; yet he thought it no harm to talk with us on the great
subject of the war, after we had learned the facts from other sources.
Frequently, by pretending to know, we could get from him a full idea
of things concerning which we were ignorant before. Of this character
was McClellan's advance on Richmond. The captain admitted that he was
moving with an overwhelming force, and that they had t