at stir among the
prisoners at the Libby, which was plainly in view across the road, and
but a short distance from us. We learned that a truce-boat had
arrived. Soon a body of United States soldiers came up the street by
us, and our five friends with them. As they passed our window, they
waved their hands in farewell, and continued their journey. No doubt
they were soon with their friends at home.[11] The parting was a hard
one for us. It seemed so much like fulfilling the passage of
Scripture--"One shall be taken and the other left," that we turned
away from the window feeling again the gloom which darkened the first
day of our arrival. We felt utterly deserted and alone; yet we were
glad that some had been able to escape from the power of this accursed
rebellion, "every throb of whose life is a crime against the very race
to which we belong."

[11] A letter was received from one of them by my father a short time
ago. He had not heard of our release, but described our parting, and
gave a rumor which he had heard of our subsequent execution.

In the dead sameness which now settled down again over our
prison-life, we had a delightful daily oasis, in reading the
newspapers. In Richmond we were not, as elsewhere, debarred their
perusal, and there was always some one who had money enough to buy
them, and then charity enough to lend them all over the prison. In
this way, we were enabled to see most of the dailies published. As
soon as we received one, all the party would gather around, while I
read the news and editorials aloud.

The time of our arrival was an exciting one. Burnside had just made
his celebrated advance, and as we read of his crossing the river, we
breathed a prayer that he would be successful, and continue onward to
Richmond. Had he done so, we would either have fallen into his hands
or been removed. In the latter case, we would have made a desperate
effort to escape, for we had firmly resolved never to be moved again
without making a strike for freedom.

But soon came the sad news of his repulse--sad to us, but causing the
greatest rejoicings among the rebels, who felt that they had escaped a
great danger, and renewed the life of their tottering treason.

We missed the books we were no longer able to borrow, and planned all
kinds of means to obtain them. Among other expedients, I managed to
sell my hat. It was a fine one, and had formerly belonged to Jack
Wells; but one day when he was drunk enough to