to hear, demanded his surrender.

"'Why, shentlemen Rebels, mein Gott, you no take non compatants, me
surgeon,' said the Grey-back on the horse, in equally loud voice.

"'No, d--n you! Dismount! We don't want you. You can be of more service
to the Confederate cause where you are. But we must have the nag.'

"'Mine private property,' he replied, as he dismounted.

"'In a horn,' said one of the Grey-backs, pointing to the U. S. on the
shoulder of the beast. 'That your private mark, eh?'

"'You no shentlemen. By G--t, no honor,' retorted the Grey-back who
personated the Doctor, as he swelled himself and strutted about on the
sand in such a high style of indignation as to draw roars of laughter
from both sides of the river.

"That rather paid us with interest for the way we sold them the day
before. You know they have been crazy after our dailies ever since the
strict general order preventing the exchange of the daily papers between
pickets. Well, that dare-devil of a law student, Tom, determined to have
some fun with them. So when they again, as they often had before, came
to the river with hands full of Richmond papers, proposing exchange, Tom
flourished a paper also. That was the old signal, and forthwith a
raw-boned Alabamian stripped and commenced wading toward a rock that
jutted up in the middle of the river. Tom stripped also, and met him at
the rock. Mum was the word between them, and each turned for his own
shore, the Grey-back with Tom's paper, and Tom with several of the
latest Richmond prints. A crowd of Rebel officers met their messenger at
the water's edge and received the paper. The one who opened it, bent
nearly double with laughter, and the rest rapidly followed as their eyes
lit on the stars and stripes printed in glowing colors on the first page
of the little religious paper that our Chaplains distribute so freely in
camp, called 'The Christian Banner.' One old officer, apparently of
higher rank than the rest, cursed it as he went up the bank as a 'd----d
Yankee sell,--' which did not in the least lessen our enjoyment of Tom's
success.

"But with our two men and the Doctor's horse they have squared accounts
with us since, and all through the fault of the Colonel."

In response to inquiries as to how, when, and where, the officer
continued--

"There was a narrow strip of open land between a belt of woods and the
river. The Colonel posted our two men on the inside of the woods, where
they had no o