to be frank, we
told him who we really were, and that we had escaped from the stockade
at Tyler, Texas, and made our way so far north on foot.

As I told this I heard a remark in the crowd:

"Damned if they didn't deserve to get through."

The lieutenant turned, with a frown, and asked who made the remark, but
he had a smothered grin on his face as he turned back and invited us
out.

This remark seemed to be the sentiment of the entire outfit, although
they now had to keep us, and intended to do so.

We were taken to a room in a neighboring house and a guard was placed
over us, but we held a regular levee until far into the night, the whole
town apparently coming to see and talk with us.

While we were chagrined and disappointed over our capture, we yet had
enough sense to make the best of it, and I cannot remember a night when
I had any more fun than that levee afforded.

The crowd ridiculed the lieutenant, praised the young fellow who had
shown us up, mimicked poor Miller until he was nearly frantic, laughed
and joked with us, asked us innumerable questions about ourselves, and
generally made us feel more like being out for a lark than in
confinement as prisoners.

During the evening we told them of our hard fare while en route, and
described our appropriation of the picket post's supper, at which they
all laughed. Then we suggested that we were even then quite hungry, and
asked for something to eat.

After some delay they brought us a kettle of cooked fresh pork and some
meal for a pone of bread. There was probably about four pounds of pork
in the mess, and a goodly supply of bread, but we ate it all before
bedtime, holding our informal reception meanwhile.

CHAPTER XXI.

ANOTHER RETURN TRIP.

We remained at Arkadelphia for several days before we were moved to
Magruder's headquarters at Washington, and during this wait we were
treated more like guests than prisoners, excepting, of course, the being
under guard. I do not think that there was an able-bodied personage in
the place who did not come to see us, and there were several callers who
were not able-bodied.

All the people were curious to see us, because we were Yankees, and more
curious because of our successful escape to this point, while our almost
successful effort to get through at the last was the occasion of much
admiration, many jokes and friendly actions.

When we did not give ourselves time to think of our capture we really
en