on't think they are after me here," Vincent said. "But I have seen a
good deal of fighting with Jackson and Stuart; and I am just getting
over a collar bone, which was smashed by a Yankee bullet."

"You don't say!" the farmer exclaimed. "Well, I should have gone out
myself, if it hadn't been for Jane and the children. But there are such
a lot of them that I could not bring myself to run the chances of
leaving them all on her hands. Still, I am with our army, heart and
soul."

"Your wife's sister told me that you were on the right side," Vincent
said, "and that I could trust you altogether."

"Now, if you tell me which road you want to go, I don't mind if I get on
my horse to-morrow and ride with you a stage, and see you put up for the
night. I know lots of people, and I am sure to be acquainted with
someone, whichever road we may go. We are pretty near all the right side
about here, though, as you get further on, there are lots of Northern
men. Now, what are your ideas as to the roads?"

Vincent told him the route he intended to take.

"You ought to get through there right enough," the farmer said. "There
are some Yankee troops moving about to the west of the river, but not
many of them; and even if you fell in with them, with your cargo of
stuff they would not suspect you. Anyhow, I expect we can get you passed
down so as to be among friends. So you fought under Jackson and Stuart,
did you? Ah, they have done well in Virginia! I only wish we had such
men here. What made you take those two darkies along with you? I should
have thought you would have got along better by yourself."

"We couldn't very well leave them," Vincent said; "the boy has been with
me all through the wars, and is as true as steel. Old Chloe was Lucy's
nurse, and would have broken her heart had she been left behind."

"They are faithful creatures when they are well treated. Mighty few of
them have run away all this time from their masters, though in the parts
the Yankees hold there is nothing to prevent their bolting if they have
a mind to it. I haven't got no niggers myself. I tried them, but they
want more looking after than they are worth; and I can make a shift with
my boys to help me, and hiring a hand in busy times to work the farm.
Now, sir, what do you think of the lookout?"

The subject of the war fairly started, his host talked until midnight,
long before which Lucy and the farmer's wife had gone off to bed.

"We will start as soon