hail the ferryman, taking our chances of
results.

Accordingly we again sought our hiding place, and passed the day in
sleeping and conversation, neither hearing nor seeing anything
throughout the day.

At the proper time we emerged boldly from our secluded nook and sought
the road, without any attempt at secrecy, having been all over the
ground both in the morning and the night before, and having heard
nothing since.

A short distance from the road we saw a man on the river bank, and kept
right on, taking him to be some stray individual looking for a chance to
cross the river, but we had not gone twenty paces after seeing him until
we walked right into a picket post of nine men, or, rather, right into
plain view of them, they being about fifty yards distant.

There was no help for it but to put on a bold front, and we walked right
along about our business. Seeing them watching us, I broke the silence
by addressing them and asking the way to the ferry.

They answered, and asked where we were going, to which I responded by
saying that we had been hunting for the ferry for an hour or more and
were going to cross, walking along in a business-like manner while
talking.

The corporal in charge of the picket guard now called to us to come into
camp, but we did not hear him, and kept on without hurrying. Then we got
a peremptory order in a tone which meant business, and we concluded
instantaneously to hear and heed this; so we stopped and asked what they
wanted, and walked slowly into camp when the corporal repeated his
order, remonstrating against the delay as we did so.

Miller was now so nervous that he scarcely knew on which end he stood,
but he quieted down in appearance when I asked him to keep cool, let me
do the talking, and back me up.

We were now asked to show our papers, but we had none to show, and by
rapid questioning I learned that these men had been guarding the river
at this point for some time, but had left the river bank for better
quarters when the high water came, and had just camped again when we
came up.

Asking the corporal his name, I learned that it was Ed. Rocket, and I
then told him that we lived in Rockport, Hot Springs county, and were
going home, being soldiers in Captain Stewart's Company A, of the 15th
Arkansas, and having come from Magruder's headquarters at Washington.

He then asked for our passes, and I told him that he was too old a
soldier not to know that we could not possib