d of his master. The officer and the
demijohn were seen to be inseparable, as he kept up a continuous drain
upon its capacity for entertainment, the result being that he was as
near drunk all the time as a man can be who seems to have no limit to
his capacity for stowing away liquor. The efforts of the man to seem
entirely sober and business-like, and his evident dependence upon Joe,
caused much amusement to all.

In the course of four or five days, during which time our confinement
was uncertain as to duration, this young man disposed of his hats, and,
professing a desire for such service as he could perform, he volunteered
to take charge of the guard which might be detailed to take us back to
our prison.

We were not over-anxious to go on, as our stay in Boston had been as
pleasant as it could be for prisoners, but this offer was accepted, and
the time was fixed for our departure.

After necessary preparation, we made a start for the first station,
about thirty miles distant.

On the day following our farewell to Boston we stopped for dinner in an
open spot adjoining a farmhouse.

Our friend, the captain, was, as usual, on the verge of being blind
drunk, and yet so far from actually being so as to be able to know, in a
general sort of way, about what he was doing. While eating our meal our
leader learned that I was a Marylander. He swore that I ought to be shot
for being a Yankee, and that my comrades were deserving of a like
treatment, saying that he would do the job himself if he had not
promised to treat us as prisoners of war. I ridiculed the idea of his
shooting anybody, especially as several of his prisoners were Masons
like himself, and told him that he did not dare to shoot one of them. He
swore that they were not Masons whom he would recognize, but that there
was his carpet-sack, out of which we could help ourselves to what money
we needed.

The negro servant had been sent for a pail of water, and he now returned
with it from the nearest farmhouse. The water was not cool enough to
suit the captain, and he made the boy throw it out and go for some more.
When Joe brought the second supply he received an artistic cursing
because he could not bring it quickly enough to avoid a rise in its
temperature. Between the bibulous officer and Joe, who was a
good-natured fellow, we were provided with considerable amusement during
the lunch hour.

During the next afternoon we reached a combined church and schoolhou