became of them, as I never
saw them afterwards. Pursuing our course back and coming in sight of
Captain Harris', where we had been the day before, we discovered a party
of white men at the house, on which all deserted me but two, (Jacob and
Nat,) we concealed ourselves in the woods until near night, when I sent
them in search of Henry, Sam, Nelson, and Hark, and directed them to
rally all they could, at the place we had had our dinner the Sunday
before, where they would find me, and I accordingly returned there as
soon as it was dark and remained until Wednesday evening, when
discovering white men riding around the place as though they were
looking for some one, and none of my men joining me, I concluded Jacob
and Nat had been taken, and compelled to betray me. On this I gave up
all hope for the present; and on Thursday night after having supplied
myself with provisions from Mr. Travis's, I scratched a hole under a
pile of fence rails in a field, where I concealed myself for six weeks,
never leaving my hiding place but for a few minutes in the dead of night
to get water which was very near; thinking by this time I could venture
out, I began to go about in the night and eaves drop the houses in the
neighborhood; pursuing this course for about a fortnight and gathering
little or no intelligence, afraid of speaking to any human being, and
returning every morning to my cave before the dawn of day. I know not
how long I might have led this life, if accident had not betrayed me, a
dog in the neighborhood passing by my hiding place one night while I was
out, was attracted by some meat I had in my cave, and crawled in and
stole it, and was coming out just as I returned. A few nights after, two
negroes having started to go hunting with the same dog, and passed that
way, the dog came again to the place, and having just gone out to walk
about, discovered me and barked, on which thinking myself discovered, I
spoke to them to beg concealment. On making myself known they fled from
me. Knowing then they would betray me, I immediately left my hiding
place, and was pursued almost incessantly until I was taken a fortnight
afterwards by Mr. Benjamin Phipps, in a little hole I had dug out with
my sword, for the purpose of concealment, under the top of a fallen
tree. On Mr. Phipps' discovering the place of my concealment, he cocked
his gun and aimed at me. I requested him not to shoot and I would give
up, upon which he demanded my sword. I d